JOINT  conference!        ^-i^rM-xriy, 


UNIVERSITY' 

OF 


OF  THOSE   INTERESTED  IN  THE 


CONSERVATION  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF 

THE  NATURAL  RESOURCES 

OF  MICHIGAN 

HELD    UNDER    THE    AUSPICES    OF   THE 

PUBLIC  DOMAIN  COMMISSION 


REPRESENTATIVE  HALL,  CAPITOL, 
LANSING,   MICHIGAN,   WEDNESDAY,   JUNE   12,   1912. 


LANSING,  MICHIGAN 
WYNKOOP   HALLENBECK   CRAWFORD   CO.,   STATE   PRINTERS 

1912 


JOINT  CONFERENC^>&'^'^,o^^.'^^\.^    X 


OF  THOSE  INTERESTED  IN  THE 


N^ 


M 


CONSERVATION  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF 

THE  NATURAL  RESOURCES 

OF  MICHIGAN 


HELD    UNDER    THE    AUSPICES    OF   THE 


PUBLIC  DOMAIN  COMMISSION 


REPRESENTATIVE  HALL,  CAPITOL, 
LANSING,   MICHIGAN,    WEDNESDAY,   JUNE    12,    1912. 


LANSING,  MICHIGAN 
WYNKOOr    HALLENBECK   CRAWFORD   CO.,    STATE   PRINTERS 

1912 


^(^\C" 


Ajt^"^ 


PUBLIC  DOMAIN  COMMISSION 

AND 

IMMIGRATION  COMMISSION. 

Junius  E.  Bbal Aim  Arbor 

Regent  of  the  University  of  Michigan. 

Alfred  J.  Doherty Clare 

Member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

Oramel  B.  Fuller Ford  River 

Auditor  General. 

William  Kelly Vulcan 

Member  Board  of  Control,  College  of  Mines. 

Frederick  C.  Martindale  Detroit 

Secretary  of  State  and  Chairman  Public  Domain  Commission. 

Huntley  Russell Grand  Rapids 

Commissioner  of  the  State  Land  Office. 

A.  C.  Carton Lansing 

Sec.  Public  Domain  Commission  and  Com'r  of  Immigration. 

Marcus  Schaaf  Roscommon 

State  Forestry  Warden. 

W.  A.  Mulhern  Lansing 

Supervisor  of  Trespass. 


320927 


COPY  OF  REPORT  ADOPTED  BY  THE  PUBLIC  DOMAIN  COMMIS- 
SION AT  THEIR  MEETING  APRIL  10,  1912. 

To  the  Public  Domain  Commission : 

Gentlemen — For  some  time  past  there  seems  to  have  been  a  difiference 
of  opinion  as  to  a  general  policy  that  should  be  adopted  for  the  handling 
of  State  lands,  the  settlement  of  the  good  agricultural  lands,  the  re- 
forestation of  lands  that  are  not  agricultural  lauds  and  the  protection 
of  our  growing  timber  from  fire,  together  with  the  preservation  of  game 
life  in  this  State. 

We  have  in  Michigan  at  the  present  time  a  Commissioner  of  the  State 
Land  Office,  a  Public  Domain  Commission  composed  of  six  members, 
three  of  whom  are  the  ministerial  officers  of  the  State,  and  the  other 
three  representing  Michigan's  three  leading  educational  institutions. 
We  have  a  State  Game,  Fish  and  Forestry  Warden,  whose  duty  it  is  to 
protect  the  game  and  fish  of  this  State,  and  the  forests  from  their 
greatest  enemy — fire. 

In  addition  to  the  above  we  have  three  great  semi-official  development 
bureaus  that  are  looking  to  the  development  of  the  good  agricultural 
lands  within  their  territory.  They  are  the  Northeastern  Michigan  De- 
velopment Bureau,  commencing  with  Saginaw  county  and  running  to 
the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  and  from  the  center  of  the  State  on  the  west 
to  Lake  Huron  on  the  east ;  the  Western  Michigan  Development  Bureau, 
whose  territory  commences  with  Kent  county  on  the  south  and  extends 
to  the  Straits  of  Mackinac  on  the  north,  and  from  Lake  Michigan  on 
the  west  to  the  center  of  the  Lower  Peninsula  on  the  east;  the  Upper 
Peninsula  Development  Bureau,  whose  territory  is  all  that  part  of 
Michigan  north  of  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  almost  an  empire  in  itself. 
To  be  added  to  these  are  several  local  development  associations,  all 
working  along  the  same  or  similar  lines. 

One  of  the  organizations  that  is  interested  in  general  reforestation 
and  especially  the  reforestation  of  the  cut-over  lands  of  this  State,  is 
the  Michigan  Forestry  Association.  The  associations  that  are  organized 
largely  for  the  protection  from  fire  are  the  Northern  Forest  Protective 
Association,  which  covers  the  Upper  Peninsula,  of  Michigan,  and  pays 
especial  attention  to  the  prevention  of  starting  and  spreading  of  fire; 
the  Hardwood  Protective  Association,  which  extends  across  the  State 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  Lower  Peninsula,  together  with  some  smaller 
organizations  over  the  State,  all  trying  to  solve  the  forest  fire  problem. 

It  would  be  almost  impossible  for  me  to  enumerate  the  great  number 
of  organizations  that  are  looking  to  the  protection  of  game  life  in  this 
commonwealth,  all  of  whom  agree  that  one  of  the  greatest  destructive 
agencies  to  game  life  is  fire. 

I  am  satisfied  that  the  differences  of  opinion  in  regard  to  a  general 


policy  That  will  work  out  for  the  benefit  of  all,  is  largely  imaginary; 
and  I  think  if  we  could  all  get  together  in  a  conference  and  talk  over 
the  whole  situation  pro  and  con,  that  we  would  be  surprised  to  find  how 
nearly  we  all  are  of  the  same  opinion.  I  think  the  whole  matter  would 
resolve  itself  into  a  proposition  whereby  we  all  might  work  for  the  set- 
tlement of  the  good  agricultural  lands,  the  utilization  of  the  non-agri- 
cultural lands  for  forestry  purposes,  protection  of  growing  timber  from 
fire,  and  for  the  propagation  and  protection  of  game  life  in  this  State. 

I  would  therefore  recommend  that  the  Public  Domain  Commission 
call  a  meeting  of  the  representatives  of  all  these  associations  and 
kindred  associations  to  meet  in  the  city  of  Lansing  some  time  in  June, 
for  the  pui*])ose  of  exchanging  ideas  and  to  formulate  a  general  policy 
that  we  can  work  out  together. 

While  I  believe  that  the  Public  Domain  Connnission  has  done  more 
to  establish  a  satisfactory  juilicy  regarding  the  handling  of  public  lands 
than  any  other  organization,  and  that  we  have  accomplished  much  with 
the  small  appropriation  that  has  been  available  for  our  use;  at  the  same 
time  I  think  that  we  should  not  only  accept  the  advice  of  those  who 
are  interested  along  the  same  line  that  w^e  are,  whenever  such  advice 
would  seem  to  be  for  the  betterment  of  conditions  in  Michigan,  but  we 
should  seek  the  opinion  of  all  men  who  have  made  this  proposition  a 
study  in  the  years  gone  by. 

With  the  fifty-three  forest  reserves  that  have  been  set  aside  by  the 
Public  Domain  Commission,  I  can  see  no  reason  wh}'  the  largest  of  these 
cannot  be  used  for  drill  grounds  for  our  National  Guard,  and  the  smaller 
reserves  used  later  on  as  summer  schools  for  forestry  students  from  the 
colleges  and  high  schools  of  this  State,  as  well  as  for  camping  grounds 
where  boys  and  girls  can  be  taken  from  the  cities  to  spend  a  few  weeks 
during  the  summer,  studying  nature  and  enjoying  the  out-of-door  life. 
In  addition  to  the  above  I  can  see  no  reason  why  all  of  these  reserves 
should  not  be  turned  into  game  preserves  as  soon  as  they  can  be  properly 
protected  from  fire. 

In  the  fifty-three  reserves,  situated  in  fifty-three  counties,  we  have 
approximatel}'  2.^0,000  acres  of  land — which  is  equal  to  a  strip  of  land 
two  miles  wide  and  two  hundred  eighteen  miles  long,  or  as  far  as  from 
the  city  of  Lansing,  the  Capitol  of  Michigan,  to  the  city  of  Chicago.  If 
on  these  tracts  of  land  fire  could  be  kei)t  out,  and  a  home  made  for  the 
game  of  this  State  where  they  could  rear  their  young  unmolested  by  fire 
or  the  hunter,  I  am  satisfied  that  it  would  do  much  to  increase  the  game 
supply  of  the  State.  It  could  be  done  without  any  additional  expense, 
as  all  our  men  who  are  engaged  in  the  protection  of  the  reserves  from 
fire  could  be  deputized  as  game  wardens. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  greatest  good  to  the  State  in  the  future  will 
come  from  all  these  kindred  organizations  pulling  together,  instead  of 
])ulliug  apart.  Co-operation  is  what  always  wins;  and  I  can  see  no 
reason  why  these  organizations  that  are  working  along  the  same  lines 
should  not  co-operate  with  the  Public  Domain  Commission  in  working 
out  some  general  policy  for  the  good  of  the  State. 

A.  C.  CARTON, 
Secretar}'  Public  Domain  Commission. 


The  report  was  received,  adopted  and  ordered  spread  at  large  upon 
the  minutes  of  the  meeting. 

The  date  fixed  for  holding  this  meeting  was  June  12,  1912,  commenc- 
ing at  10  a.  m.,  and  the  secretary  was  instructed  to  issue  invitations  to 
all  parties  interested  in  the  above  subjects,  to  be  present  and  participate 
in  the  discussions.  The  meeting  to  be  held  in  Representative  Hall, 
Capitol  Building,  Lansing,  Michigan. 


PROGRA^r. 

WEDNESDAY  JUNE  12,  1912 

TEN   o'clock   a.    M. 

Music Band,      Michigan      Agricultural      College 

Invocation Rev.  Fr.  Brancheau, 

Rector    St.    Mary's    Church,    Lansing 

Address  of  Chairman , Hon.  Frederick  C.  Martindale 

Address Hon.  Chase  S.  Osborn,  Governor 

Atldress,  Forestry Prof.  J.  Fred  Baker, 

Michigan   Agricultural   College 
What   the   Federation   has   done  to   assist       Mrs.  R.  H.  Ashbaugh,  Detroit, 

in   developing   Public   Sentiment    and  Detroit  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs 

Interest 

Forestry  and  Game S.  M.  Higgins,  Negaunee, 

Forester  Cleveland  Cliffs  Co. 
Snapshots   of   National,    State   and    Local 

Work Mrs.  Benjamin  F.  Williston,  Detroit, 

State    Federation    of   Women's   Clubs 

Business  Viewpoint  of  Forestry Hon.  Junius  E.  Beal,  Ann  Arbor, 

Member  Public  Domain  Com. 

A  general  discussion  of  the  Question  of  Forestry  is  invited 


WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON 

TWO    o'clock 

Horticultural      Possibilities      of     Western 

Michigan George  E.  Rowe,  Grand  Rapids 

Commission  and  its  Policies Hon.  William  Kelly,  Vulcan, 

Member  Public  Domain  Com. 
Needed  Legislation  to  Conserve  Wild  Game 

and  Bird  Life Hon.  William  R.  Oates, 

State  Game,  Fish  and  Forestry  Warden 

Forest  Fires  and  Forest  Protection Thomas  B.  Wyman,  Munising, 

Northern   Forest   Protective  Association 
Forest  Fire  Protection,  From  the  Railroad 

Standpoint C.  W.  Luce,  East  Tawas, 

Supt.D.  &M.  R.  R. 

Address J.  J.  Hubbell,  Manistee, 

Chief  Engineer,   Manistee  &  NE.  R.  R. 

Community  Development Douglas  Malloch,  Chicago, 

Associate  Editor,  American  Lumberman 
The  Future  of  Land  Investments  in  North-  j,cj 

ern  Michigan O.  F.  Barnes, 

Northeastern      Michigan      Development 
Bureau 
Conservation  of  Wild  Game  and  Bird  Life.       Hon.  L.  Whitney  Watkins,  Manchester 


10 

WEDNESDAY  EVENING 

7:80  O'CLOCK 

What  the  Forest  Scouts  Avill  do  for  Michigan.       J.  H.  McGillivray,  (Jscoda, 

Michigan  Forest  Scouts 
What  the  Development  of  the  Power  in 
our  Streams   will   do   for  the  Conser- 
vation of  Coal  and  AVood  and  for  Agri- 
culture  H.  H.  Crowell,  Grand  Kapids 

Northeastern  Michigan  and  its  Future John  Carter,  St.  Helen 

Forestiy  From  the  Viewpoint  of  the  Lum- 
ber Manufacturer Leonard  Bronson,  Chicago, 

Mgr.  Natn'l  Ass'n  of  Lumber  Manufact- 
urers 
Geological  Survey  and  Game  Conservation       Alexander  G.  Ruthven, 

Head    Curator,    Museum    University    of 
Michigan 

Conservation  of  Bird  Life Jefferson  Butler,  Detroit, 

Pres.  Audubon  Society 
State  Game  Refuges Frank  H.  Shearer,  Bay  City 

A  general  invitation  is  extended  to  all  to  participate  in  the  discussion  of  all  topics  presented^ 


Joint  Conference  of  those  interested  in  the  Conservation  and  Develop- 
ment of  the  Natural  Resources  of  Michigan,  held  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Public  Domain  Commission,  in  Representative  Hall,  Lansing,  Michi- 
gan, Wednesday,  June  12,  1912. 

The  first  session  of  the  Conference  was  called  to  order  by  Hon.  Fred- 
erick C.  Martindale,  chairman  of  the  I*ublic  Domain  Commission. 

Invocation,  Rev.  Fr.  Brancheau,  Rector  St.  Mary's  Church,  Lansing. 

Telegrams  and  letters  were  read  from  the  following:  Hon.  Charles 
W.  Garfield,  Grand  Rapids;  Prof.  Filibert  Roth,  Ann  Arbor;  Mr.  John 
H.  Bissell,  Detroit;  Hon.  W.  B.  Mershon,  Saginaw;  Hon.  Chase  S.  Os- 
born,  Lansing;  Mrs.  R.  H.  Ashbaugh,  Detroit;  Mr.  J.  J.  Hubbell,  ^lan- 
istee;  Hon.  L.  Whitney  Watkins,  Manchester;  Mr.  Frank  H.  Shearer, 
Bay  City;  Mr.  Thornton  A.  Green,  Ontonagon,  and  othere,  regretting 
their  inability  to  be  present. 


ADDKESS  OF  CHAIRMAN,  HON.  FREDERICK  C.  MARTINDALE, 
SECRETARY  OF  STATE. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen — Ever  since  the  organization  of  the  Public 
Domain  Commission  their  best  efforts  have  been  directed  along  the  line 
of  providing  for  Michigan  a  sane  and  workable  conservation  policy;  one 
that  would  build  up  Avithout  tearing  down;  one  that  would  restore  to 
Michigan  at  least  a  portion  of  the  forests  that  have  been  removed,  and 
one  that  would  be  broad  enough  to  take  in  the  development  of  the  good 
agricultural  lands  of  this  State  and  the  development  of  the  indestruct- 
ible resources  that  must  take  the  place  of  the  products  of  our  forests, 
if  the  same  are  to  be  protected  and  their  use  limited. 

We  have  in  Michigan  today  fifty-three  forest  reserves  that  have  been 
set  aside  by  the  Public  Domain  Commission,  all  of  which  should  be 
protected  from  fire  and  reforested.  The  largest  of  these  could  be  used 
for  drill  grounds  for  our  National  Guards  and  the  smaller  reserves  as 
summer  schools  for  forestry  students  from  tlie  high  schools  and  colleges 
of  the  State.  Those  bordering  upon  lakes  and  streams  would  make 
splendid  camping  grounds  where  boys  and  girls  from  the  cities  could  be 
taken  to  s])end  a  few  weeks  in  the  summer  studying  nature  and  enjoying 
the  out-of-door  life.  The  use  of  these  reserves  for  the  purposes  above 
enumerated  would  not  injure  them  in  any  way  as  game  refuges,  where 
game  and  bird  life  could  be  protected  and  propagated. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  we  should  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  Michi- 
gan is  an  agricultural  state  with  millions  of  acres  of  good  agricultural 
lands  yet  unfilled,  which  can  be  made  to  provide  homes  for  thousands 
of  our  people  and  to  produce  food  for  our  ever. increasing  population. 

This  angle  of  the  proposition  must  not  be  lost  sight  of,  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  good  agricultural  lands  in  this  State  is  a  part  of  the  great 
conservation  problem.  If  we  believe  in  the  true  idea  of  conservation, 
we  believe  that  the  things  that  are  placed  here  for  the  use  of  man  should 
be  used  for  the  purposes  for  which  they  are  best  fitted,  and  if  we  have 
lands  that  are  more  adapted  to  the  growing  of  farm  crops  than  to  any 
other  purpose,  that  is  the  use  to  which  they  should  be  put. 

If  the  destructible  natural  resources  of  this  State  are  to  be  protected 
and  their  use  limited,  then  the  indestructible  natural  resources  must  be 
developed  to  take  their  place  among  other  absolute  necessities  of  life, 
for  the  human  family  must  have  heat,  power  and  light. 

Not  alone  is  the  Public  Domain  Commission  interested  in  a  general 
policy  that  will  assist  in  solving  these  problems,  but  I  take  it  that  every 
citizen  of  this  great  commonwealth  is  interested  in  a  general  movement 
for  the  conservation  and  development  of  our  natural  resources  and  it 
indeed  seems  fitting  at  this  time  that  the  Public  Domain  Commission 
should  call  together  in  conference  all  those  elements  and  forces  which 


12 

have  been  working  along  ditferent  lines  but  which  must  eventually  lead 
to  the  same  place.  I.  therefore,  as  Chairman  of  the  Public  Domain  Com- 
mission, extend  to  you  a  hearty  welcome  to  this  conference  and  assure 
you  that  the  Public  Domain  Commission  expects  to  profit  by  your  coun- 
sel and  advice  here  today  and  are  sure  that  the  conclusions  reached  will 
be  such  as  to  be  of  untold  value  to  the  good  old  Wolverine  State  which 
we  all  love  so  well. 


FORESTRY. 

PROF,    .T.    FRED    BAKER,    MICHIGAN    AGRICULTUR^iL    COLLEGE. 

The  subject  of  forestry,  as  assigned  would  have  been,  a  decade  ago, 
a  limited  topic.  Today  it  is  extremely  comprehensive,  embracing  many 
technical  branches  of  far-reaching  industrial  and  commercial  importance. 

But  a  few  years  ago,  forestry  was  hailed  in  Michigan  as  in  many 
other  states,  as  a  new  thing  to  be  defined  before  the  people,  and  jet  the 
most  important  branch  of  forestry,  i.  e.,  lumbering,  was  for  a  great 
many  years  the  leading  industry  of  the  State.  The  forestry  propaganda 
impressed  different  groups  of  persons  with  varying  effect.  We  have  had 
the  sentimentalist  with  the  cry  of  ''Woodsman,  woodsman,  spare  that 
tree."  Why  spare  it  when  it  is  in  commercial  stands  and  it  will  bring 
ami)le  returns?  If  the  tree  is  not  in  commercial  stands,  it  is  the  problem 
(»f  the  landscape  architect  not  the  forester.  In  the  early  stages  of  the 
forest  conservation  propaganda,  much  was  condemned  that  has  since 
been  recognized  as  necessary.  Propagandists,  unused  to  the  sights  of 
slashing  as  a  result  of  logging,  after  viewing  operations  on  a  large 
scale,  wrote  and  talked  loudly  of  the  terrible  destruction  of  our  forests, 
the  wanton  waste.  Waste  is  a  comparative  term;  what  might  be  waste 
in  New  England  might  not  be  waste  in  Michigan  and  what  might  be 
waste  in  Michigan,  might  not  be  waste  on  the  T*acific  Coast.  The 
great  cpiestion  is,  will  it  pay;  can  the  logger  put  the  material  on  the 
market  and  make  a  fair  profit  on  his  activities?  The  lumberman  carries 
on  his  operations  to  meet  the  demands  of  a  present  day  market,  not  the 
market  as  it  will  be  fifty  years  from  now.  Who  is  the  best  judge  of 
logging  waste,  the  walking  boss  or  the  magazine  writer? 

Then  the  lumberman  who  is  suspicious  of  anything  ])hased  forestry, 
fearing  its  development  as  meaning,  perhaps,  finally  governmental  con- 
trol, forms  the  second  group. 

The  third  grouj)  of  men  are  those  actively  interested  in  some  phase  of 
timber  utilization  from  the  stump  to  the  finished  product.  These  men 
have  viewed  their  different  phases  from  a  technical  standpoint  and  are 
endeavoring  to  work  out  a  policy  of  conservation  not  alone  in  the  for- 
ests but  all  along  the  line,  sustaining  thereby,  our  Avood  using  industries. 

Many  successful  lumbermen  have  studied  dee])ly  the  problem  of  hold- 
ing their  standing  timber  and  its  protection  from  fire  and  tlie  best  use 
of  their  cut-over  lands.  Engineers  have  found  better  uses  than  formerly 
for  old  woods  and  old  uses  for  new  woods.    They  have  produced  the  most 


13 

efficient  machinery  to  get  the  best  out  of  the  raw  material  at  hand.  All 
these  men  have  worked  in  their  own  sphere  towards  aiding  in  the  great 
movement  of  conservation  of  one  of  our  greatest  natural  resources— 
the  forests. 

I  appeal  to  you  as  citizens  of  the  state,  deeply  interested  in  forest  con- 
servation, first  of  all  for  a  thorough  systematic  and  scientific  investiga- 
tion of  the  possibilities  of  the  production  of  timber  on  a  commercial 
scale  on  the  public  domain  of  the  commonwealth.  What  will  it  cost 
to  produce  White  Pine  per  thousand  feet  board  measure,  in  the  northern 
part  of  this  State?  What  parts  of  the  State  can  produce  it  best?  Many 
questions  must  be  asked,  many  questions  answered  before  a  correct  basis 
can  be  obtained  and  progress  made  with  safety. 

It  has  been  said  of  the  present  day  status  of  the  movement,  "Forestry 
is  everywhere  but  in  the  woods."  The  statement  is  ti-ue,  the  people  in 
general  have  thought  much  over  the  whole  conservation  problem.  What 
is  now  wanted  are  facts  as  bases  for  actual  procedure. 

Miss  Lydia  D.  Holmes,  of  Bay  City,  was  present  and  gave  a  very  able 
address  on,  ''The  Instruction  of  School  Children  in  the  fundamental 
Principles  of  Conservation."  At  the  conclusion  of  the  above  she  in- 
troduced the  following  resolution : 

Kesolved,  That  this  Conference  express  to  the  Superintendent  of  Pub- 
lic Instruction,  to  the  Presidents  of  the  State  Institutions  of  Learning, 
to  the  President  of  the  State  Teachers  Association,  the  State  Teachers 
Club,  the  School  Masters'  Club  and  to  the  State  Superintendents'  Asso- 
ciation, the  wish  that  they  and  the  organizations  they  represent,  at  their 
earliest  convenience,  earnestly  consider  the  question  of  the  advisability 
and  the  best  methods  of  systematic  conservation  instruction  in  Michi- 
gan's public  schools,  with  a  view  to  some  plan  of  regular  systematic 
conservation  instruction  in  the  schools  of  the  State. 

The  foregoing  resolution  was  supported  by  Hon.  Junius  E.  Beal,  of 
Ann  Arbor,  and  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Conference. 


FORESTRY  AND  GAME. 

S.    M.    HIGGINS^    NEGAUXEE^    FORESTER   CLEVELAND    CLIFFS    CO. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — This  short  paper  is  in  no  way 
intended  to  cover  these  subjects.  All  that  is  aimed  at  is  to  show  some- 
thing of  their  relation  and  their  probable  future  and  possibilities  in  a 
part  of  this  State.  , 

In  the  Upper  Peninsula  there  are  approximately  10  million  acres  of 
land.  At  least  nine  million  of  this  was  originally  covered  with  a  good 
forest  growth.  It  has  been  estimated  that  sixty-five  per  cent  of  this  area 
is  suitable  for  agriculture.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  one-half  the  timber  has 
been  cut.  The  pine  has  disappeared;  much  of  the  land  that  was  once 
covered  with  this  timber  is  now  a  barren  waste.  Large  areas  of  this 
have  reverted  to  the  State  for  non-payment  of  taxes. 


14 

The  most  common  method  of  lumbering  in  that  country  now  is  to  cut 
all  the  timber.  After  this  is  done  the  better  agricultural  soils  are  being 
taken  up  for  farms. 

Forestry  and  game  can  never  compete  with  agriculture  but  must  give 
way  to  the  poorer  soils.  The  three  and  one-half  million  acres  of  non- 
agricultural  land  will  i»robably  revert  to  the  State  for  non-payment  of 
taxes  after  the  timber  is  cut  unless  new  policies  come  in.  This  is  un- 
fortunate for  the  public.  Instead  of  i)roducing  a  revenue  this  land  will 
be  an  expense,  as  the  cost  of  advertising  it  and  the  office  expense  in 
handling  it  must  be  borne  by  the  State, 

This  three  and  one-half  million  acres  of  land  is  strictly  a  forest  soil 
and  if  it  were  not  for  fires  the  forest  in  time  would  renew  itself  over 
these  cut  over  areas.  It  is  on  this  territory  that  forestry  should  be 
undertaken  by  the  people  and  it  would  be  if  it  were  profitable. 

The  heavy  taxes  on  timber  land  makes  it  impossible  to  hold  them  long 
without  cutting  the  timber,  and  the  timber  having  been  cut,  it  is  im- 
possible to  hold  them  for  a  second  crop.  Even  if  the  tax  rate  was  favor- 
able the  risk  from  fire  would  make  them  unattractive  as  an  investment. 

Take  for  example  this  problem:  Lands  cost  |2.00  per  acre  (the  State 
has  some  for  sale  at  this  price),  taxes  are  five  cents  per  acre,  interest 
is  five  per  cent,  taking  it  for  granted  the  land  has  good  natural  regenera- 
tion of  forest  trees  and  the  rotation  is  75  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
the  land  has  cost  |77,G6  and  the  taxes  |37,88,  or  |115.54  for  the  acre. 
This  does  not  look  like  an  attractive  investment.  Neither  the  fire  risk 
nor  care  has  been  taken  account  of.  An  individual  would  not  care  to 
enter  into  such  a  long  time  investment,  only  the  State  or  a  corj)oration 
would  consider  it.  Forestry  investments  will  not  show  more  than  three 
per  cent  interest  and  this  is  not  enough  to  induce  much  capital  to  invest. 
What  is  needed  is  some  industry  that  can  be  carried  on  with  the  forestry 
investment.  Some  business  depending  on  the  forest  and  which  will 
yield  a  livelihood  while  waiting  for  the  timber  crop. 

This  can  be  found  in  game,  fish  and  fur  farms  on  these  lauds.  These 
three  and  one-half  million  of  acres  are  suitable  for  numerous  such  farms. 
Most  of  the  land  carries  much  food  for  game.  There  are  numerous  small 
streams  and  unmeandered  lakes  that  could  supply  fish  and  otfer  good 
chances  for  muskrat  and  beaver  quarters.  This  would  bring  a  settled 
population  on  these  lands  where  now  not  a  soul  is  found.  Instead  of 
this  there  is  the  transient  hunter  and  trapper  who  can  never  take  a  per- 
manent interest  in  the  land. 

It  is  believed  that  all  this  would  be  possible  if  it  were  not  for  the 
restriction  on  the  disi)osal  of  game  from  game  farms  and  the  prohibiting 
of  having  in  possession  fur  bearing  animals.  The  elk  and  the  deer  can  be 
raised  as  easily  in  parts  of  the  Upper  Peninsula  as  reindeer  can  be  in 
Iceland  or  short  horns  in  Iowa.  There  is  a  movement  among  some  of  the 
states  to  encourage  the  propagation  of  game  animals,  but  most  of  the 
states  (and  Michigan  is  one  of  them)  while  granting  j)ermission  to  raise 
game  deny  the  right  to  sell  it  on  the  market.  It  is  not  difficult  to  see 
what  this  leads  to.  It  places  one  in  exactly  the  same  position  ns  if  he 
were  raising  cattle  without  the  right  to  sell  them  for  beef.  Game  placed 
on  the  market  that  were  raised  in  captivity  ofould  be  marked  to  prevent 
game  killed  on  uninclosed  lands  being  marketed. 


15 

No  one  denies  but  that  our  game  is  rapidly  disappearing.  This  is  due 
naturally  to  two  causes.  Lands  are  rapidly  being  cut  over  and  turned 
into  farms  or  fires  devastate  them  destroying  the  cover  for  game.  There 
is  one  burned  over  district  in  the  Upper  Peninsula  on  what  is  the  Fox 
River.  This  covers  100,000  acr^s.  It  was  formerly  the  finest  pine. 
Hardly  a  deer  can  be  found  on  these  plains,  while  formerly  there  must 
have  been  many. 

Game  must  give  way  before  agriculture.  By  referring  to  the  game 
laws  of  New  Jersey  you  find  there  a  law  bearing  the  date  of  1871  that 
does  not  read  so  much  unlike  our  deer  law  of  today.  It  allowed,  how- 
ever, that  the  owners  of  tame  deer  could  kill  them  at  any  time.  Year 
by  year  these  game  laws  of  New  Jersey  became  more  strict,  but  the  deer 
disappeared.  Today  Mr.  Charles  Brewster  tells  us  that  one  man  in 
Missouri  raises  more  deer  yearly  than  the  hunters  of  New  Jersey  kill 
during  that  time. 

During  summer  spent  in  West  Virginia  in  which  I  tramped  each  day 
through  a  countiy  nine-tenths  of  which  was  forest,  not  a  single  deer  was 
seen.  Generations  ago  they  were  plentiful  in  this  same  forest.  They 
had  simply  disappeared  before  the  ever  present  woodsman  with  his  gun, 
and  West  Virginia  has  not  been  without  game  laws. 

Why  should  not  the  raising  of  game,  fish  and  fur  be  encouraged  and 
particularly  so  in  a  country  suited  for  such  an  enterprise?  Here  also 
no  other  enterprise  will  yield  a  reasonable  return. 

As  a  people  we  encourage  the  introduction  and  development  of  a  new 
fruit  or  grain,  but  we  deny  the  right  to  the  people  to  add  to  our  small 
list  of  domesticated  animals.  Not  only  should  private  capital  be  en- 
couraged in  this  work,  but  the  State  should  establish  game  refuges  on 
forest  land  and  game  farms  to  stock  the  depleted  forests.  Some  of  the 
states  have  already  undertaken  this  work.  Michigan  should  not  be 
behind. 

The  conclusions  then  are:  Forestry  will  naturally  be  confined  to  lands 
suitable  only  for  forests.  Here  private  forestry  cannot  pay  under  pres- 
ent conditions.  These  conditions  are  lack  of  protection  against  fire, 
laws  taxing  a  single  forest  crop  as  many  times  as  there  are  years  in  the 
rotation,  and  laws  preventing  the  raising  of  animals  and  birds  that  are 
adapted  to  these  lands,  or  when  permitting  them  to  be  raised  deny  the 
light  to  use  them  to  the  best  advantage.  Without  a  population  who 
have  a  permanent  interest  in  this  country  it  suffers  from  fires  and  brings 
no  return,  but  becomes  an  expense. 

Game  life  gradually  disappears  before  the  increasing  number  of 
hunters.  What  is  needed  are  laws  whereby  the  State  can  raise  game  to 
take  the  place  of  that  disappearing  and  laws  giving  the  people  the  right 
to  propagate  and  use  the  wild  animals. 


SNAP  SHOTS  OF  NATIONAL,  S.TATE  AND  LOCAL  WORK. 

MRS.     BENJAMIN     F.     WILLISTON,     DETROIT,     STATE     FEDERATION     OF     WOMEN-'S 

CLUBS. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — All  along  it  has  been  my  desire 
to  attend  this  conference,  and  to  try  and  grasp  all  the  knowledge  on 
this  wonderful  subject  that  I  conld  retain,  and  carry  back  to  my  clnb, 
''The  Detroit  Review,"  the  utterances  of  the  brilliant  minds  of  Michi- 
gan and  elsewhere,  but  on  receiving  a  letter  from  your  secretary,  Mr. 
Carton,  an  invitation  asking  me  to  give  the  conference  the  benefit  of  my 
paper,  or  report,  given  before  the  Detroit  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs 
at  their  annual  meeting  A])ril  last,  why  I  almost  had  inertia,  knowing 
that  many  revisions  would  have  to  be  made  to  meet  the  requirements, 
as  well  as  the  thought  of  presenting  it  in  such  a  public  way. 

Conservation  stands  for  keeping  and  jirotecting  from  loss  or  injury 
our  natural  resources,  and  a  subject  of  wide  and  unlimited  space,  reach- 
ing from  pole  to  pole  and  from  rising  to  setting  sun.  Thus  the  motto 
of  the  Conservation  Congress  of  these  United  States  as  well  the  National 
Irrigation  Congress,  "The  Greatest  Good  for  the  Greatest  Number  for 
the  Ix)ngest  Time,  and  Science  bids  the  Desert  Drink,"  presents  the  tale, 
not  of  what  I  have  to  say,  but  what  the  work  has  to  tell.  In  the  uses 
of  our  natural  resources,  we  know  that  by  abuse  some  are  almost  reduced 
to  extinction;  for  example,  our  forests,  while  the  energy  of  water  unused 
is  absolutely  lost,  but  Avhere  water  is  trained  to  toil  it  neither  increases 
or  decreases  the  future  supply. 

For  centuries  the  head  waters  of  our  Great  Lakes  flow  past  our  city 
(Where  Life  is  Worth  Living)  on  to  the  Great  Niagara  through  summer 
sunshine  and  winter  cold.  A  Mecca  for  travellers,  who  tarry  awhile, 
spell  bound  at  natures  handiwork  of  falling  water,  on  its  way  to  sea, 
generating  such  a  capacity  of  power  that  by  Electric  transmission, 
reaches  out  many-armed  and  returns  westward  again,  even  to  our  very 
door,  seeking  admission  to  revolve  the  wheels  of  industry  and  turn  our 
nights  into  day.  A  local  resource  no  longer  but  to  garner  her  waters 
for  ])ublic  service.  Men's  wisdom  has  been  exercised  to  conserve  her 
beauty. 

Water  jiower  service  saved  the  country,  last  year  33,000,000  tons  of 
coal. 

In  the  great  development  of  water  power  the  public  interests  must 
be  safe  guarded,  and  no  where  can  we  look  for  a  better  example  than 
the  holdings  of  the  Commonwealth  Power  Company  of  Michigan.  Wlien 
one  views  the  government  map  issued  March  14:th,  1912,  and  to  here  learn 
what  complete  control  the  corporation  has  over  these  Northern  trout 
streams,  and  knowing  that  on  our  statute  books  they  are  laws  that 
anglers  are  willing  to  abide  by,  as  regards  the  season  of  the  year  for 
fishing,  the  number  of  fish  to  be  taken  from  the  streams,  as  well  as 
the  size  and  prohibited  sale.  Something  should  be  done  to  restrict  them 
from  developing  the  remaining  28,000  horse  power  on  the  Au  Sable  and 


17 

keep  these  streams  clear  for  this  clean  sport  and  recreation  grounds,  so 
that  our  men  can  hie  themselves  away  from  business  cares,  Avhile  those 
at  home  await  the  gift  of  the  angler,  "Michigan  has  her  law,"  "The 
Corporation  the  Stream.''  The  fishing  grounds  are  as  dear  to  the  heart 
of  the  angler  as  the  woods  are  to  the  heart  of  the  hunter.  Water  power 
has  its  place  but  Ave  are  i)roue  in  this  commercial  age  to  lose  sight  of 
the  beauty  of  our  streams  only  when  it  is  too  late  and  may  Ave  hope  that 
in  adroit  management,  the  beauty  of  those  streams  may  be  conserved  for 
man's  enjoyment  as  Avell  as  in  the  distribution  and  use  of  the  power 
Avhich  the  corporation  stands  for. 

The  Island  Empire  of  Australia  is  to  be  congratulated  on  her  owning 
her  streams  and  lands  on  each  side  of  her  streams,  ]n"ofiting  by  our 
mistakes  and  those  of  other  countries,  no  pre-existing  rights  there. 

Very  briefly  let  me  state  some  of  our  great  national  movements.  Wlrle 
national  reports  shoAv  an  expenditure  of  some  |000,000.000  for  irriga- 
tion, the  outcome  created  by  the  Avater,  the  unit  Avill  be  billions.  Water 
is  noAV  available  for  1.086.000  acres  of  land  on  Avhich  are  1,400  families, 
and  the  gross  value  of  the  crops  for  1911  Avasi  |24,000,000.  And  by  drain- 
age and  other  agencies,  6,200,000  acres  are  now  under  cultivation  and 
in  seven  more  years  the  acreage  Avill  be  increased  to  15,000,000.  Mr. 
William  E.  Smythe  of  California,  has  made  the  statement  and  a  good 
one,  that  Avhen  rich  men  Avanted  to  build  railroads  Ave  loaned  millions 
of  dollars  and  donated  200,000.000  acres  of  lands,  and  should  not  the 
poor  man  be  helped  to  get  a  home  and  this  could  be  done  by  establish- 
ing a  Bureau  of  "Little  Farms",  California  has  her  nation  of  Little 
Landers;  To  do  this  would  need  leadership,  organization,  and  instruc- 
tion, and  for  eA^ery  dollar  spent  on  fleets  and  armies,  ten  dollars  should 
be  spent  on  building  homes.  ]Mr.  Xeil  Neilson  of  Australia,  who 
traveled  10,000  miles  to  be  ])resent  at  the  National  Irrigation  Congress, 
Chicago,  states  on  Irrigated  Lands  the  government  Avill  build  settlers 
houses  and  alloAv  them  ten  years  to  pay  for  the  work  Avith  interest  at 
five  per  cent,  and  if  they  Avish  it  Avill  grade  the  land,  and  further  more 
Avill  fence  it.  The  unit  of  land  is  50  acres  of  irrigated  land  and  the 
government  alloAvs  him  150  acres  on  the  outskirts  of  his  land  for  feed 
for  stock  so  that  he  Avill  earn  not  only  a  living  ui)on  the  land  but  earn 
a  little  better  than  a  living  u]>on  it.  Australia  makes  no  stringent  hnvs 
but  keeps  settlei'S  there  by  self-interest  alone.  If  a  man  does  the  pioneer- 
ing and  })roducing  Avork  of  the  country  make  his  life  as  comfortable  as 
possible,  as  Ave  do  in  cities  and  towns. 

The  25th  resolution  of  the  National  Irrigation  1912,  reads:  Kealiz- 
ing  that  the  greatest  benefits  of  foreign  immigration  can  be  attained 
onl3'  Avhen  immigrants  settle  permanently  on  farms,  Avhere  they  (piickly 
develop  the  spirit  of  citizenshij)  and  helj)  render  this  a  nation  of  homes. 
We  commend  co-operation  among  the  various  state  iuunigration  offices 
and  the  establishment  of  common  agencies  including  expositions  and 
other  means  of  dittusing  accurate  information,  to  the  end  that  immi- 
grants may  be  located  on  the  soil  under  conditions  a]>propriate  to  their 
habits  and  to  the  best  development  of  the  country  as  a  Avhole. 

Michigan  has  done  her  share  in  helping  to  create  the  terrible  flood  con- 
ditions of  the  ]\Iississip])i,  for  this  map  shoAvs  tliat  ^lichigan  lies  in  the 
Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  Our  forests  are  gone  and  our  swamps  drained 
3 


18 

and  the  tall  grass  and  roots  that  were  a  natural  protection  and  held  in 
check  the  heavy  rainfall  and  melting  snows  and  Avith  miles  of  drainage, 
all  lielj)  to  increase  the  sudden  rising  of  her  turbulent  streams. 

At  the  i)resent  time  the  members  of  The  Flood  Commission  of  Pitts- 
burgh, under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  George  H.  Maxwell,  have  hired  a 
corps  of  engineers  and  have  surveyed  19,000  square  miles  of  the  water- 
shed of  the  Alleghen}'  and  Monongahela  rivers,  surveyed  43  reservoir 
sites  and  they  have  selected  17  in  which  to  conserve  the  flood  waters 
and  reduce  the  floods  at  Pittsburg  and  then  put  the  water  in  the  rivers 
wlicn  most  need  for  navigation  and  this  can  be  done  for  |20,000,000. 
With  this  beginning  will  start  what  we  may  all  hope  for;  a  big  irriga- 
tion project  to  store  the  Father  of  Waters  and  if  stored  would  irrigate 
10.000,000  acres.  Floods,  why  they  are  like  snoAV-drops  in  a  river,  here 
today  and  gone  foreA'er. 

Colorado  has  conserved  the  flood  Avaters  of  the  Platte  watershed  Avith 
15  reserA'oirs.  covering  4,025  acres,  capable  of  holding  in  check  3,012,000 
cubic  feet  of  Avater  and  a  reservoir  at  Lake  Antero  100  miles  from 
Denver  is  as  large  as  the  last  15  altogether.  In  August  and  September 
the  tributary  streams  of  the  Platte  are  dry.  This  conserved  Avater  is 
then  used  for  the  great  potato  crops  of  Greeley  and  to  Avater  the  sugar 
beets  in  September. 

Chicago  has  spent  |6G,000,000  to  saA'e  her  people  and  the  state 
•120.000,000  more,  reversing  her  two  rivers  and  taking  .f20,000  cubic  feet 
of  fresh  Avater  per  minute  from  Lake  Michigan  to  safe  guard  her  people, 
"Her  Kiparian  Eight,"  Pollution  carries  death,  and  in  Ezekial  XXXIV 
chapter.  18th  to  31st  A'erses,  we  find  the  words — Seemest  it  a  small  thing 
unto  you  to  have  drank  of  the  deep  Avaters,  but  ye  must  foul  the  residue 
Avith  your  feet,  and  as  for  my  flock  they  eat  that  Avhich  you  have  trodden 
and  thej  drink  that  Avhich  you  have  fouled  Avith  your  feet,  until  disease 
you  have  scattered  abroad,  and  I  Avill  judge  betAveen  cattle  and  cattle, 
choose  my  shepherd  for  my  people  and  make  a  covenant  of  peace,  and 
send  doAvn  shoAvers  of  blessings,  and  deliver  them  out  of  the  hands  of 
those  that  serve  themselves.  For  my  flock  of  my  ])astures  are  men. 
Does  not  this  divine  laAv  make  floAving  AA'ater  the  property  of  all,  as  the 
birds  of  the  air. 

One  greater  than  man  has  willed  that  icebergs  return  to  the  sea  from 
AA'hence  they  come,  in  a  course  all  their  oavu,  and  Ave  knoAv  that  condi- 
tions of  atmosphere  and  Avater  tell  of  their  nearness  and  giAC  fore 
Avarning.  Need  I  mention  the  "Titanic."  Reject  God's  hiAvs  and  we 
sufl:"er. 

The  bill  presented  by  Hon.  Kichard  Austin  of  Tennessee,  and  noAV 
X>ending  before  the  house  for  the  appropriation  of  |200,000  to  aid  the 
National  Conservation  Exposition,  said  exposition  to  take  place  Sep- 
tember 1st  to  October  31st,  11)13,  at  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  so  ordered  by  the 
advisory  board  of  the  exj)osition  at  ^Vashing(<)n,  Presideut-Gifl'ord  Pin- 
chot.  The  exjjosition  company  has  been  organized  and  drafts  have  been 
made  foi-  a  charter  Avitli  a  cai)ital  stock  of  fl.OOO.OOO  by  new  capital 
stock,  biiihlings  Avill  be  erected  at  a  cost  of  from  |25,000  to  |250,000,  be- 
sides the  beautiful  ])ark  and  buildings  of  the  Ai)]>alachian  Exposition, 
valued  at  |l,O00,t)OO  have  been  turned  over  to  the  National  Conservation 
Exposition  and  these  Avill  form  the  nucleus  around  Avhicli  the  larger 
allair  Avill  be  built. 


19 

The  Southern  States  building  is  designed  as  a  novel  feature  to  show 
the  resources  and  manufacturing  industries  of  IG  southern  states  under 
one  roof. 

Plans  have  been  made  for  the  erection  of  an  agricultural  and  land 
building,  in  which  Avill  be  a  relief  map  of  the  Southeast — built  up  of 
soils  of  the  various  states,  showing  mountains,  timber  regions,  streams, 
with  actual  running  water,  the  railroads,  Atlantic  and  Gulf  and  cities. 

The  plant  crops  will  be  exhibited  besides  annual  crops,  in  living- 
groups  with  the  double  object  of  inculcating  thrift  and  increasing  the 
opportunity  and  demand  for  the  highest  intelligence  on  the  farm. 

The  production  and  reproduction  of  forests  will  be  exhibited  in  such 
a  way  as  will  contrast  the  wasteful  methods  of  nature  with  the  scientific 
methods  folloAved  by  the  forester;  the  place  of  the  wood  lot  upon  the 
farm. 

The  development  and  utilization  of  water  power  will  be  illustrated  by 
(1)  model  dams,  conduits,  and  water  engines  (2)  by  maps  (3)  electric 
devices,  transmission  of  water  power  (4)  and  the  water  power  for  navi- 
gation. The  mineral  resources  of  the  country,  the  coal  to  be  illustrated 
under  six  divisions,  the  iron  (3),  while  Petroleum,  peat  and  natural  gas 
will  be  illustrated  as  mineral  fuels.  Special  attention  Avill  be  given  to 
the  display  of  materials  for  construction  available  as  substitutes  for 
iron  used  especially  in  cities  and  towns. 

The  greatest  natural  resource  is  man  himself,  consequently  the  de- 
velopment of  health,  the  abolition  of  child  labor,  the  reduction  of  infant 
mortality,  the  eradication  of  disease,  tuberculosis,  the  hook  worm  and 
typhoid  fever,  the  protection  of  milk  and  water  supplies,  the  extermina- 
tion of  the  fly  and  mosquito,  impure  and  adulterated  foods  and  drugs 
is  necessary.  With  education  along  lines  of  sanitation,  domestic  science, 
vocational  training,  rural  school  advancement,  good  roads,  showing 
manner  of  construction  and  finished  Avork  and  with  the  co-operation  of 
the  Audubon  societies,  fish  and  game  commission,  and  other  organiza- 
tions for  the  preservation  of  bird  life  and  animal  life,  such  an  exposi- 
tion will,  I  hope  be  given  wide  publicity  through  the  columns  of  the 
press  nation  wide. 

The  1500,000  which  has  passed  the  house  for  assuming  Federal  Con- 
trol of  the  Chesapeake  and  Albemarle  Canal,  if  passed  by  the  Sen- 
ate and  signed  by  the  President  Avill  be  the  first  link  and  definite  results 
of  a  Barge  canal,  sea  level,  from  Boston  to  Key  West,  Florida,  a  recom- 
mended route  surveyed  by  the  State  and  Army  Engineers  of  connecting 
148  streams  each  navigable  for  100  miles  or  more  opening  up  great 
agricultural  lands  as  Avell  as  protecting  the  lives  of  seamen,  in  an  in- 
side passage  and  reduce  marine  insurance  75  i)er  cent.  From  1900  to 
1909  there  Avere  5,400  disasters,  2,200  lives  lost  and  |40,500,000  of  prop- 
erty destroyed  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard. 

Of  the  660,000,000  of  money  Avhich  the  gOA^ernment  collects  annually, 
70  per  cent  is  spent  today  in  past  and  future  wars,  and  the  secretary 
this  year  is  asking  30  millions  to  increase  the  measures  of  war,  and 
12,000,000  for  one  war  vessel  Avhile  only  1,000,000  is  allowed  for  the 
agricultural  department. 

The  appropriations  asked  for  this  coming  vear  for  forestrv  divided 
under  four  heads    (10,000.000)     (Reclamation    AA^ork,    10,000,000)     and 


20 

24,000,000  for  the  State  and  Armv  Engineers  for  building  and  maintain- 
ing flood  waters,  canals,  reservoirs. 

One  million  dollars  to  establish  a  mnsenm  on  the  conservation  of 
Forests  and  Water  Kesources  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution  that  in-, 
formation  relating  to  these  subjects  be  published  and  distributed,  the 
same,  as  a  means  of  educating  the  public  as  well  as  to  furnish  object 
lessons  by  illustrations  of  the  disastrous  results  of  non-conservation  in 
foreign  lands. 

Since  the  paragraph  as  regards  the  Forest  Service  in  the  Newland  Bill, 
comes  under  this  head  of  section  13,  there  is  a  chance  to  the  supersti- 
tious. 

To  carry  on  the  work  as  chairman  in  our  individual  clubs  is  certainly 
worth  while,  but  to  assume  the  leadership  in  a  city  the  size  of  Detroit, 
numbering-  50  clubs  with  a  membershi])  of  about  4,000,  almost  overpow- 
ered me,  but  the  associations  and  leadership  of  our  President  Mrs.  (leorge 
Caron  from  1910  to  1912,  inspires  one  to  greater  activities  and  to  follow 
after  the  light  as  the  wise  men  from  the  East  followed  the  ''Star''  for  a 
woman,  or  women  who  have  sympathies  large  enough  to  enfold  all  women 
as  sisters  much  better  than  gold,  such  leadership  directs  one  to  espouse 
the  call  and  aim  to  do  something  for  the  uplift  of  humanity,  for  in  work 
one  finds  the  solution  of  problems. 

Miss  Baldwin  of  Birmingham,  the  chairman  elderly  in  years,  but  full 
of  enthusiasm  and  helpful  suggestions,  on  account  of  a  very  critical 
illness  delated  much  of  the  work  that  would  have  been  accomplished. 

In  January  many  of  our  clubs  received  letters  from  our  State  Chair- 
man, Mrs.  Mautner  of  Saginaw,  and  our  president  believing  that  it  Avas 
a  matter  that  should  come  before  all  of  the  clubs  counselled  with  your 
speaker  and  asked  me  if  I  would  undertake  the  Avork  and  complete  the 
year,  dating  from  Feb.  3rd.  I  am  sure,  gentlemen  of  the  Public  Domain 
Commission  you  all  know  the  contents  of  the  petitions  sent  to  Governor 
Osborn  as  also  Pi'esident  John  Palmer,  State  Board  of  Agriculture  as 
Avell  as  the  governor's  friendly  reply. 

Your  return  letters  came  just  a  little  too  late  for  a  public  hearing 
before  the  federation  in  my  annual  report,  but  in  the  name  of  the  com- 
mittee I  wish  to  thank  you  all  for  the  general  response  and  the  message 
of  enlightenment  they  contained,  and  my  pleasure  Avill  be  to  read  these 
letters  before  our  club  on  resuming  our  work  October  next,  and  will  no 
doubt  have  careful  consideration  by  our  federation  president. 

Conservation  is  an  interesting  study,  and  our  committee  meetings 
are  well  attended  at  such  time  Ave  take  up  various  subjects  for  discus- 
sion. 

Believing  it  to  be  for  the  best  interest  of  our  Avork  to  have  some  one 
to  Avhom  one  could  report  on  the  mutilation  of  trees,  a  special  com- 
mittee of  five  Avas  apjxiinted  to  Avhom  (•oni])lainls  could  be  made.  ^frs. 
Eichelzer  of  the  Home  Study  Club  doing  splendid  Avork  as  chairman. 

Anyone  leaving  or  entering  Detroit  cannot  help  but  notice  the  great 
mutilation  of  the  half  mile  of  trees  numbering  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  near  the  Nine  Mile  road  out  \A^oodward — trees — maple,  oak  and 
elm  but  look  more  like  ])osts  with  short  stubs  ]>rojecting  so  bluntly  are 
they  cropped.  The  Michigan  State  Telephone  Company  did  the  ]>runing 
but  the  land  oAvnei-s  j>ave  their  consent.     Scarcelv  could  a  greater  ex- 


21 

ample  be  forth  coming  of  the  wholesale  slaughter.  Sometimes  we  are 
prone  to  lay  too  much  blame  on  corporations,  in  this  case  I  think  the 
land  owners  need  instruction  and  education ;  for  when  questioned  it 
was  their  opinion  they  would  be  stronger  than  ever.  The  Telephone 
Company  sealed  the  wounds,  not  scientifically'  but  effectively.  This 
land  has  since  been  sold  and  real  estate  men  are  plotting  out  two  sec- 
tions, Woodward  Farms  containing  acre  lots  while  the  other  is  called 
"Little  Farms.'' 

London,  Canada  has  a  new  ordinance  whereby — ''All  trimming  of  trees 
must  be  done  at  the  proper  time  of  the  ,vear  and  under  proper  scientific 
supervision.  If  at  any  time  trimming  is  necessary  for  wires  or  electrical 
construction  the  city  parks  department  will  perform  the  operation, 
charging  the  company  or  coi*poration  for  the  same." 

To  champion  a  cause  one  must  be  ready  to  meet  emergencies  and  per- 
haps in  no  other  way  could  crying  need  for  immediate  action  have  been 
more  amply  demonstrated  than  by  the  stereoptican  lecture  given  by 
Professor  Alexander,  on  the  Tussock  Moth  and  other  agencies  destroy- 
ing our  cit}'  trees,  before  the  Conservation  Committee  of  the  Twentieth 
Century  Club,  at  a  luncheon  on  March  7tli  at  which  were  present  the 
Common  Council  and  the  Board  of  Estimates,  besides  the  husbands  of 
the  members  and  friends  interesting  themselves  in  maintaining  the 
natural  beauty  of  which  Detroit  is  so  much  noted. 

In  a  talk  about  the  wild  flowers  the  Professor  cited  the  fact  that 
teachers  of  botany  in  our  public  schools  have  hard  times  to  find  speci- 
mens for  class  work,  for  the  great  growth  of  the  city  has  encroached  on 
their  native  haunts,  until  they  have  melted  away  as  snow  wreaths  before 
the  genial  breath  of  the  vernal  gales.  While  those  in  our  parks  and  on 
our  boulevards  are  protected  by  law  and  cannot  be  molested. 

Not  willingly  would  we  see  our  trees  perish  for  the  want  of  care  nor 
the  wild  flowers  meet  utter  destruction  and  de])rive  our  children  of  those 
sweet  wood  flowers  we  have  loved  so  much.  Not  only  the  federation  of 
Women's  Clubs  but  many  organizations,  and  individuals  worked  with 
I'rofessor  Alexander  to  have  the  common  council  appropriate  $25,000 
to  preserve  our  city  trees  and  an  appropriation  of  |500  for  the  safe 
guarding  of  wild  flowers. 

In  Proverbs  it  is  stated  where  there  is  no  vision  the  people  perish, 
but  happ3'  is  he  who  keepeth  the  law.  The  Common  Council  and  the 
Board  of  Estimates  saw  the  vision  of  a  treeless  city  under  existing  con- 
ditions and  grandly  came  to  the  rescue  with  .|20,000  appropriation  to 
wage  war  on  the  Tussock  Moth  and  other  agencies  destroying  our  city 
trees. 

The  same  paper  that  conveyed  the  joyful  news  of  the  appropriation 
also  conveyed  the  sorrowful  tidings,  the  death  of  Mr.  Harry  J.  Hunter 
our  City  Forester,  a  man  of  national  and  state  wide  reputation.  The 
appropriation  long  denied,  now  coming  at  such  a  time  surely  such 
crosses  are  hard  to  meet ;  for  with  his  great  knowledge  of  conditions,  how 
judiciously  Avould  he  have  carried  on  the  work. 

From  time  to  time  within  the  last  twenty  years  new  suburban  plots 
have  been  laid  out,  taking  much  well  wooded  farm  land,  consequently 
many  alleys  contain  trees  that  are  better  than  hundreds  in  our  parks 
and  on  boulevards.     After  the  appropriation  was  granted  I  wrote  our 


22 

Park  Commissioner  calling  his  attention  to  virgin  elms  and  oaks  in  the 
alley  between  West  Betlume  Avenne  and  Pallister  Street,  bounded  by 
Woodward  and  Third,  hoping  they  could  have  some  attention  for  the 
city  possesses  the  equipment  and  the  taxpayers  through  the  Board  of 
Estimates  granted  the  money ;  this  is  his  reply : 

May  8,  1912. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Williston, 

124  W.  Bethune  Ave.,  City. 
Dear  Madam: 

In  reply  to  your  favor  of  May  4,  would  say  that  under  a  ruling  of  the 
coi*poration  counsel,  this  department  has  no  jurisdiction  over  trees 
growing  in  alleys.  This  is  a  matter  for  the  property  owners  adjoining 
where  the  tree  is  located.  The  money  appropriated  is  only  for  trees 
along  the  public  streets. 

We  would  gladly  attend  to  the  trees  in  the  alleys  if  they  were  under 
our  control,  but  of  course  we  are  controlled  b}-  the  law. 

Very  truh^  yours, 

M.     P.     HURLBUT^ 

Commissioner. 

On  receiving  this  letter  "I  abided  for  a  time"  at  the  "City  Hall" 
corporation  counsel  office,  while  Michigan  laAv  was  consulted  and  ex- 
pounded ;  but  it  was  too  much  for  me  and  I  came  home  with  this  ruling 
of  the  Supreme  Court. 

An  alley  is  not  a  highway,  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term,  but  is  no 
more  than  a  way  subject  to  modified  supervision,  and  liable  to  be  used 
for  drainage,  and  other  urban  services,  under  municipal  regulations,  but 
intended  for  the  conveniences  of  adjacent  property  and  not  for  general 
travel  or  passage,  like  streets. 

Paul  vs.  Detroit,  32  Mich.  111. 

While  article  31,  Park  and  Boulevard  fund  reads:  Trees  along  our 
public  streets;  I  am  sure  the  Board  of  Estimates  granted  the  |20,000  to 
preserve  our  citj'  trees  just  as  our  petitions  stated. 

It  is  not  for  me  to  question  the  ruling  of  the  supreme  court,  but  I  do 
know  alleys  in  Detroit  are  made  common  thoroughfares  by  more  than 
one  kind  of  business.  Is  the  Tussock  Moth  to  be  left  to  find  a  breeding 
place  in  our  alleys  and  destroy  the  shade  for  our  less  prosperous  citi- 
zens? 

Oh  to  consider  the  grandeur  of  these  lonely  trees; 

That  wrestle  singly  with  the  gale. 

Lift  up  admiring  eyes  to  Thee; 

But  more  majestic  far  they  stand. 

When  side  by  side  their  ranks  they  form 

To  wave  on  high  their  plumes  of  green, 

And  fight  their  battles  with  the  storm. 

Two  other  organizations  are  doing  good  work,  the  Garden  Club  and 
the  National  Plant,  Flower  and  Fruit  Guild. 

The  Garden  Club  while  yet  in  its  infancy,  T  believe  in  time  will  be  a 


23 

national  moivement  towards  practical  exchange  of  ideas,  while  The 
National  Plant,  Flower  and  Fruit  Guild  seek  out  the  poor  and  needy 
and  supply  them  with  surplus  vegetables  and  fruits  largely  raised  in 
the  suburbs,  as  well  as  the  plants  and  cut  flowers  spared  from  many 
gardens  and  large  social  functions.  Three  thousand  persons  are  listed 
on  the  Guild  record  and  thus  the  good  work  goes  on. 

God  give  us  men;  a  time  like  this  demands 

Great  hearts,  strong  minds,  true  faitli   and   ready  hands; 

Men  whom  the  lust  of  office  does  not  kill; 

Men  whom  the  spoils  of  office  does  not  buy; 

Men  who  possess  opinions  and  a  will ; 

Men  who  have  honor ;  men  who  will  not  lie ; 

Men  who  can  stand  before  a  demagogue 

And  brave  his  treacherous  flatteries  without  winking; 

Tall  men,  sun-crowned,  Avho  live  above  the  fog; 

In  public  duty  and  in  private  thinking. 

—Holland. 


BUSINESS  VIEWPOINT  OF  FOKESTRY. 

HON.    JUNIUS    E.    BEAL^    ANN    ARBOR,    MEMBER    PUBLIC    DOMAIN    COMMISSION. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

We  are  coming  to  the  fuller  realization  of  the  close  relation  between 
natural  resources  and  business.  We  are  just  beginning  to  understand 
how  our  resources  make  the  foundation  of  all  business.  James  J.  Hill, 
the  greatest  financier  of  the  northwest  declares  that  our  natural  re- 
sources are  the  capital  on  which  our  business  is  done. 

The  test  of  good  business  is  to  produce  an  annual  return  or  dividend 
without  impairing  the  capital.  If  a  manager  of  a  corporation  like  a 
bank  pretends  to  pay  dividends  out  of  earnings,  but  takes  it  out  of  the 
capital  stock,  thereby  lessening  it  each  year,  as  soon  as  he  is  caught  at 
it  he  is  liable  to  prosecution.  Everybody  agrees  to  this,  for  he  is  con- 
sidered a  dangerous  man  thus  to  juggle  with  the  property  of  others. 

By  the  nature  of  things,  some  resources  cannot  be  used  without  ex- 
hausting them.  They  are  such  things  as  copper,  coal,  iron,  salt  and  gas. 
The  man  exploiting  these  must  have  larger  dividends  to  get  his  capital 
returned — a  portion  each  year — besides  the  interest  on  his  investment. 

Timber  has  been  unconsciously  classed  with  the  above  utilities  because 
it  was  so  plentiful,  so  cheap,  so  easy  to  obtain,  apparently  so  limitless. 
However  as  the  timber  line  recedes,  we  are  just  beginning  to  realize 
that  at  the  rate  we  have  been  going  there  is  an  end  to  it  and  that  not 
far  distant. 

The  next  step  is  to  distinguish  between  minerals  and  timber.  We  are 
able  to  note  that  timber  may  be  a  crop  that  may  be  harvested.  There- 
fore it  may  be  grown  again.  It  is  a  cake  that  you  may  both  eat  and 
have !  What  a  wonderful  provision  of  nature ! 

It  is  strange  that  England,  which  we  have  copied  mainly,  should  be 


24 

backward  in  reforestation,  for  she  is  still  depeudino-  on  other  countries 
to  supply  her  timber.  She  has  not  waked  up  to  her  rapidly  approaching 
dire  need  for  lumber.  This  difficulty  is  perhaps  owing  to  a  national 
characteristic  hardened  into  those  laws  which  make  for  her  sacred  pre- 
cedents. The  old  Englisli  axiom  that  "a  man's  home  is  his  castle"  meant 
that  he  was  Lord  over  the  land  he  owned,  and  could  do  whatever  he 
Manted  to  on  that  land,  even  to  the  verge  of  creating  a  nuisance  which 
might  harm  the  value  of  the  ])roperty  of  a  neighbor.  That  pervades  still 
in  our  laws  in  this  country,  and  is  a  dominant  factor.  It  could  be  main- 
tained when  there  were  fewer  peoj)le  and  more  unoccupied  land,  for 
then,  if  a  neighbor  did  not  like  it  he  could  move.  The  taking  up  of  all 
the  land,  the  increase  of  pojiulation  crowding  us  together,  constrains 
us  to  regard  with  more  care  the  rights  of  others.  We  are  getting  to  be 
more  nearly  our  brother's  keei)er.  New  laws  are  creeping  in  to  restrain 
our  former  open-air  liberties.  Public  health  and  public  safety  put  health 
boai-ds,  police  and  militia  over  our  right  to  do  what  we  wish  on  our  own 
laud.     The  laws  of  eminent  domain  become  wider  in  application. 

Along  with  that  trend  comes  the  discovery  that  the  public  lands  are 
the  property  of  all  the  people.  The  old  notion  was  that  they  belonged  to 
the  man  who  got  there  first  with  the  power  to  exploit  them.  But  now 
the  ijressure  of  the  times  is  squeezing  out  the  grabber  and  putting  su- 
preme that  idea  of  Conservation,  which  means  to  use  the  natural  re- 
sources sanely,  without  wasting,  without  destroying,  but  with  a  view  of 
maintaining  production   for  the  -future. 

^^'e  can  see  now  that  Michigan  made  a  mistake  in  selling  her  timber 
lands  outright,  but  it  was  the  mistake  of  the  times.  Canada  has  a  better 
way  of  simply  selling  the  timber,  the  minerals  or  the  gas,  but  keeping 
the  land.  She  gets  just  as  much  now  for  it,  and  will  have  a  valuable 
asset  for  all  time.  Minnesota  also  was  wiser  in  keeping  her  minerals 
and  is  millions  of  dollars  ahead.  But  Michigan  is  very  fortunate  in 
getting  back  many  thousands  of  acres  of  what  will  eventually  be  her 
richest  permanent  resource.  The  timber  having  been  removed,  the  land 
has  returned  to  the  State,  and  it  should  not  be  sold  again  unless  it  is 
good  agricultural  laud.  Where  we  see  farms  which  have  been  twice 
abandoned  we  may  well  judge  that  they  should  be  reserved  for  trees, 
for  it  is  wrong  for  the  State  again  to  allow  these  pitiful  failures. 

The  cardinal  ])rincii>al  of  forestry  is  to  put  all  land  to  its  most  profit- 
able use.  She  can  afford  to  be  just,  for  there  are  so  many  thousands 
of  acres  of  waste  lands  unfit  for  any  profitable  agriculture  that  she  has 
an  outlook  of  years  before  she  can  take  care  of  what  is  conceded  to  be 
hers  alone.     She  is  needed  so  badly  that  all  are  coming  to  welcome  her. 

Now  comes  the  hard  headed  business  man  who  asks,  "Will  it  pay?" 
and  we  must  show  him  that  it  icill  pay. 

If  you  look  out  over  the  world  to  find  a  nation  the  least  swayed  by 
sentiment,  looking  carefully  into  propositions,  studying  every  angle, 
digging  deei)ly  into  investigations,  and  thoroughly  satisfying  themselves 
of  its  practicability  before  adojiting  anytliiug  new.  you  will  at  last  come 
t()  the  German,  lie  is  not  easily  fooled  in  expenditures  of  money.  Let 
us  see,  therefore,  what  he  is  doing  in  Forestry. 

Fortunately  he  has  been  at  it  a  long  time,  so  we  can  get  an  accurate 
^uage  of  results  through  the  years.    His  work  ranges  150  years. 


25 

While  Michigan  has  one-tenth  of  an  acre  per  inhabitant  set  aside  for 
forestry,  German}'  has  three-fifths  of  an  acre  per  citizen  devoted  to  it. 
Her  forestry  is  carried  on  with  scientific  accuracy  and  she  is  showing 
that  the  forest  output  can  be  increased,  and  at  the  same  time  the  profits 
are  larger.  Every  German  State  administers  its  own  forests.  When 
they  began  they  were  compelled  to  start  just  as  we  are,  from  conditions 
showing  mismanagement,  or  no  management.  Their  first  object  was  to 
get  a  continuous  crop  by  not  cutting  more  than  would  grow.  By  that 
process  the  growth  has  immensely  increased;  consequently  the  amount 
cut  has  gone  up  by  leaps  and  bounds.  For  instance  in  1830,  the  growth 
was  20  cubic  feet  per  acre;  in  1865,  21  feet;  1890,  52  cubic  feet,  and  in 
1901,  05  cubic  feet.  This  shows  that  under  Prussian  control  the  annual 
rate  of  production  has  increased  over  300  per  cent.  To  illustrate  how 
the  quality  has  also  improved,  the  saw  timber  has  gone  from  19  per 
cent  to  51  per  cent. 

If  this  were  being  done  in  the  United  States,  instead  of  using  three 
times  as  much  as  we  grow,  we  would  be  keeping  up  with  the  consump- 
tion. But  this  is  not  half  the  story,  for  the  financial  end  of  it  is  the 
gauge  of  success  along  the  line  of  my  subject  as  showing  the  business 
side.  While  the  net  income  from  an  acre  in  1850  was  28  cents,  and  72 
cents  in  1805,  in  1901  it  was  |2.50.  This  is  ten  times  the  figure  of  60 
years  ago.  As  lumber  raises  in  value  we  can  see  how  this  will  go 
forward  even  more  rapidlj-  after  the  forests  of  Russia  and  Austria  are 
no  longer  available  to  draw  upon.  We  may  then  contemplate  a  great  up- 
lift in  timber  values,  not  only  there,  but  over  the  world. 

Saxony  is  spending  .f3.000  per  acre  on  her  430,000  acres  of  State 
forests,  and  obtains  a  net  revenue  of  .$5.30  per  acre  which  gives  her 
$2,299,000 — a  very  substantial  business  investment  which  well  answers 
the  question  of  will  it  pay?  She  gets  93  cubic  feet  per  acre,  mainly 
spruce,  which  att'ords  fine  saw  timber.  This  saw  timber  increased  from 
26%  in  1830  to  66%   in  1904,  thus  beating  the  Prussian  forestry. 

Moreover,  there  is  another  German  state  which  can  beat  even  this 
remarkable  record.  It  is  Wurtemburg,  where  f2.05  is  spent  on  each 
acre,  and  |6.00  made  as  a  net  profit.  This  helps  their  State  treasury 
by  its  net  revenue  of  over  three  millions  of  dollars.  An  interesting 
feature  of  this  is  that  results  are  intensive,  for  where  the  most  money  is 
spent,  the  rule  holds  that  the  best  results  are  obtained. 

In  France  where  the  state  spends  annually  95  cents  an  acre,  they 
clear  a  profit  of  |1.75  per  acre,  aggregating-  |4,437,000  a  year  income. 
This  is  a  tidy  addition  to  its  national  treasury,  and  a  tribute  to  the  busi- 
ness side  of  the  problem.  France  was  driven  to  it  by  her  great  de- 
struction of  lands  by  floods  and  winds,  whole  districts  being  devastated. 
On  the  coast  the  shifting  sand  dunes  have  been  stopped  from  swallowing 
u]»  the  vineyards,  275,000  acres  having  been  i)lanted  to  forests.  The 
business  end  of  this  as  handled  by  the  State  has  brought  it  about  that 
the  State  has  received  |120,000  more  than  it  all  cost,  besides  having 
property  worth  |10,000,000,  which  has  cost  her  nothing.  Land  worth 
14.00  an  acre  a  few  years  ago  is  now  giving  her  an  annual  net  return  of 
$3.00  per  acre. 

France  and  Germany  together  have  about  the  same  population  as  the 
United    States.     While   they   spend   |11,000,000    and   get    back    a    net 


26 

130,000.000  a  year,  we  speud  |1,400,000  aud  get  back  less  than  a  million. 

Even  Anstria  makes  |o,000,000  a  year  from  her  State  forests,  having^ 
started  forestry  in  response  to  the  opposition  which  arose  against  selling 
her  State  lands. 

Hnngary  is  doing  advanced  work  b}^  distributing  free  millions  of 
seedlings  and  |)aying  bounties  for  reforesting  private  waste  lands. 

In  Sweden  they  are  adding  largely  to  their  forests  by  buying  at  an 
average  of  |5.30  per  acre.  When  we  hear  of  Germany  having  to  buy 
great  tracts  for  reforestation  at  |25.00  per  acre  it  makes  us  feel  that  our 
Michigan  tax  lands  may  prove  a  blessing  in  disguise. 

One  does  not  look  to  Russia  for  much  of  progress  in  this  field,  but 
she  can  point  to  |21,000,000  as  a  net  income  from  her  for-ests.  She  does 
not  allow  private  forests  to  be  cleared  except  by  returning  the  trees  to 
the  land  or  an  equal  plantation.  She  gives  free  advice  to  private  owners 
as  well  as  seedlings  and  working  plans.  An  Imperial  Bank  loans  money 
on  forests  where  the  Government  gives  scientific  management. 

Even  India  has  gotten  out  from  the  British  axoim  of  "a  man's  castle" 
and  has  established  the  right  to  intervene  for  the  general  welfare  ta 
protect  and  develop  the  forests.  She  is  acquiring  a  revenue  of  |3,000,00O 
from  her  woods. 

MUNICIPAL   FORESTRY. 

There  is  another  field  about  to  open  up  in  this  country  Avhich  atfords 
an  opportunity  for  a  business  proposition.  It  is  for  our  cities  to  acquire 
forest  lands.  If  it  is  a  good  thing  for  Nations  to  go  into  forestry  on 
a  large  scale  it  is  advisable  for  our  cities  to  go  into  it.  Primarily  they 
should  start  'getting  lands  to  protect  their  water  supplies,  as  that  is 
becoming  a  harder  problem  every  year  for  our  municipalities. 

A  fine  combination  may  be  made  of  protecting  the  water  sources  and 
having  to  make  a  profit  for  the  city.  Let  me  giv^e  some  illustrations  of 
the  trend  abroad.  For  instance  in  Baden  out  of  1,561:  communities  of 
that  State,  1,530  have  their  own  forests.  These  are  handled  by  scientific 
foresters.  They  give  employment  to  the  people,  wood  to  the  poor,  and 
an  income  to  the  town.  The  city  of  Baden,  having  16,000  peo])le  and  a 
forest  of  10,000  acres  spends  |33,b00  a  year  on  it  and  gets  back  flOO.OOO. 
That  is  a  net  profit  of  fO.OO  an  acre. 

Heidelberg  has  a  newer  forest  beautifully  parked  and  made  ornamental 
to  a  great  degree.  Still,  as  ncAV  as  it  is,  they  get  a  balance  of  |2.00  an, 
acre  on  the  right  side. 

One  little  town  in  Baden  of  1,600  people  and  a  forest  of  1,500  acres^ 
has  a  net  income  of  |21,000,  paying  all  their  taxes,  giving  them  fire 
wood  and  establishing  electric  light  aud  water  plants,  and  schools. 

These  instances  are  given  not  as  intending  to  claim  that  we  can  get 
these  wonderful  results  in  our  towns  in  the  immediate  future,  but  they 
point  the  way  for  us.  AVe  should  begin  to  plan  for  many  of  the  Avaste 
lands  nenv  our  towns,  not  only  to  safe-guard  their  water  supplies,  but 
to  start  ui)on  a  source  of  wealth  and  income  for  them  to  help  to  meet 
the  rapidly  growing  tax  rates.    What  others  have  done,  we  can  do. 

Many  citizens  wonder  how  their  municipalities  are  ever  going  to  pay 
their  indebtedness.  We  must  plan  an  income  producer  and  an  expan- 
sion of  assets  by  growing  some  municipal  forests.    Suppose  it  does  take 


sixty  years  to  accomplish  that.  Sixty  years  are  as  nothing  in  the  life 
of  a  city.  No  one  can  tell  what  the  ]n-ice  of  Inmber  may  be  at  that  time. 
The  most  of  onr  saw  mills  are  tompeting-  so  hard  that  they  find  it 
difficnlt  to  make  profits  now.  While  it  is  true  that  the  Inmber  dealer 
makes  good  money,  and  the  man  who  bnys  timber  to  hold  finds  it  ad- 
vancing rapidly,  the  Inmberman  and  mill  owner  wish  oftentimes  that 
they  could  shut  up  their  camps  and  mills.  Many  are  bonded  so  heayily 
they  cannot  stop  because  the  interest  keeps  up.  When  this  situation 
changes  there  will  be  rapid  advances  in  lumber  and  ten  dollars  a  thou- 
sand feet  on  the  stump  Avill  not  look  so  large  a  price.  This  will  make 
the  State  and  municipal  forests  good  inyestments,  besides  converting 
unsightly  waste  places  into  beautiful  resting  places  for  the  people. 

It  Avill  not  be  a  successful  business  proposition  alone,  but  educative, 
useful  and  of  lasting  beauty. 

It  is  marvellous  opportunity  coming  to  us.  May  Ave  be  equal  to  the 
demand  and  give  to  grand  old  Michigan  her  largest  benefits  for  the 
future  which  will  so  soon  be  the  present. 


HORTICULTURAL    POSSIBILITIES    OF    AYESTERN    MICHIGAN. 

:MR.    GEORGE    E.    ROWE,    GRAND    RAPIDS. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

The  State  contains  over  .30,000,000  acres  of  tillable  land.  20,000,000 
acres  are  now  in  farms.  12,000,000  acres  are  under  the  plow.  One-third 
of  1,000,000  acres  is  planted  to  fruits  of  dift'erent  kinds.  Under  present 
methods  the  fruits  cultivated  in  Michigan  produce  about  2.5%  of  what 
they  should  produce. 

From  one-third  of  1,000,000  acres  we  take  approximately  |10,000,000 
worth  of  fruit,  but  we  should  take  |10,000,000. 

There  are  over  2,000,000  acres  of  good  number  one  fruit  land  in  the 
State.  If  one-third  of  1,000,000  acres  should  produce  40,000,000, 
1,000,000  acres  would  produce  120,000.000,  and  2,000,000  would  produce 
240,000,000  or  twenty-four  times  our  present  out-put. 

The  science  of  horticulture  is  a  ncAV  science.  That  is,  we  had  been 
treating  it  as  a  science  for  only  a  very  short  time.  It  cannot  be  de- 
veloped as  rapidly  as  most  of  the  other  sciences.  We  have  to  wait  for 
the  seasons.  We  have  to  wait  for  the  plants  to  grow.  Sometimes  for  sev- 
eral years,  to  gather  just  a  little  information  that  in  many  of  the  other 
sciences  could  be  obtained  in  a  laboratory  in  a  few  minutes. 

But  if  Ave  Avould  plant  only  our  best  number  one  fruit  land  and  take 
reasonably  good  care  of  our  fruit  according  to  the  best  tried  and  tested 
methods,  the  fruit  lauds  of  Michigan  would  give  us  a  larger  annual  in- 
come than  has  ever  been  obtained  in  a  single  year  from  our  great  forests 
or  our  Avonderful  mines,  and  Avould  continue  year  after  year  to  grow  in 
efficiency  and  value. 

There  are  certain  fundamental  things  that  are  essential  to  success  in 
any  business  or  profession.    There  is  no  business  or  profession  that  does 


28 

not  have  its  hazards,  imcertaiuties  and  failures.  The  miner,  the  lumber- 
man, the  banker,  the  manufacturer,  the  merchant,  the  doctor,  the  lawj'er 
and  even  the  clergy  are  all  up  against  it  sometimes,  and  there  is  alwavs 
recorded  a  large  number  of  failures. 

lOverv  class  of  farming  has  its  successes  and  its  failures,  but  a  careful 
study  of  all  professions  and  business  enterprises  show  a  smaller  number 
of  failures  among  the  fruit  growers  than  can  be  found  among  any  other 
class. 

The  things  most  essential  to  the  fruit  grower's  success  are  the  j^roper 
soil,  climate,  market  and  a  certain  knowledge. 

SOIL. 

The  only  sure  way  to  determine  the  value  of  soil  for  any  particular 
fruit  is  by  field  trial  because  so  many  factors  enter  into  the  make-tii> 
of  a  good  fruit  soil,  that  it  is  easy  to  make  mistakes,  and  yet  all  good 
fruit  soils  have  many  points  in  common,  and  there  is  hardly  any  soil 
by  which  under  favorable  conditions  will  be  found  adapted  to  some 
classes  of  fruit.  For  instance,  the  pear  prefers  a  rather  heavy  clay  soil, 
the  peach  and  cherry  quite  often  an  open  and  porous  soil,  straw^berry 
and  blackberry  will  often  do  well  on  soil  too  sandy  for  other  fruits. 
The  currant  and  gooseberry  prefers  a  clay  loam,  but  will  adapt  them- 
selves to  almost  any  location,  and  in  the  case  of  apples  and  many  other 
tree  fruits,  the  sub-soil  is  generally  of  more  importance  than  the  surface 
soil.  Loose  loam  or  an  open  clay  soil  which  is  made  up  largely  of  clay 
and  small  shells  on  such  laud  as  we  generally  find  a  vigorous  growth  of 
maple,  hemlock  and  white  oak  is  one  of  the  best  all  around  soils  for  all 
classes  of  fruit.  Sandy  and  gravely  loam  underlaid  wdtli  a  good  open 
clay  sub-soil  is  almost  ideal  for  any  of  the  smaller  fruits  and  grapes, 
and  one  of  the  highest  classes  of  soils  for  peaches,  pears,  plums  and 
a] (pies.  It  is  the  easiest  kind  of  soil  to  handle  and  can  be  easily  culti- 
vated after  rain  without  becoming  lumpy  or  sticky  and  it  easily  forms  a 
dust  blanket  which  helps  to  conserve  the  moisture. 

Soil  of  this  character  is  found  in  abundance  all  over  Michigan,  per- 
haps in  larger  areas  throughout  the  western  counties  of  the  State  al- 
though quite  large  tracts  are  found  in  all  of  the  counties  of  the  Lower 
Peninsula,  and  certain  ])ortions  of  the  L^pper  Peninsula.  It  has  been 
recognized  by  horticulturists  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  State 
that  Michigan  had  large  quantities  of  the  very  best  soil  for  fruit  culture. 
Sutticieut  })lantings  have  been  made  covering  the  well  knoAvn  fruit  sec- 
tions of  the  State  to  prove  the  value  of  the  soil  for  the  growing  of  the 
very  best  varieties  of  both  tree  and  small  fruits. 

This  matter  of  soil  has  been  so  thoroughly  tested  out  that  the  careful 
observer  may  today  select  orchards  sites  and  soils  for  the  growing  of 
sniiill  fruits  very  easily  and  with  but  slight  chances  of  making  mistakes. 

CLI.MATK. 

The  natural  climatic  conditions  of  Michigan  furnish  more  safeguards 
to  the  fruit  grower  than  can  be  found  in  any  other  section  of  the  United 
States.  True  it  is  that  occasionally  we  have  trees  frozen  in  the  winter 
and  fruit  buds  injured  in  spring,  but  these  hazards  come  in  one  way  or 
another  wherever  fruit  is  grown,  and  the  records  of  thirty  years  show 


29 

that  our  injuries  from  cold  winters  or  frosty  springs  had  been  less  than 
the  natural  hazards  that  are  found  in  connection  with  the  most  of  the 
other  industries  of  the  country,  and  with  modern  methods  of  culture 
and  safeguards,  they  can  be,  in  a  large  measure,  eliminated.  The  climate 
of  Michigan  presents  no  great  extremes  of  heat  or  cold. 

The  prevailing  winds  are  from  the  northwest  and  serve  to  mitigate 
the  extreme  heat  of  summer,  Avhile  the  influences  exerted  by  the  Great 
Lakes  and  elevation  serve  to  modify  the  temperature  in  winter.  These 
conditions  are  the  indirect  cause  of  the  slowly  advancing  and  receding 
seasons.  The  average  j)arcipitation  during  the  months  of  April,  May, 
June.  July,  August  and  Se]ttember  is  ])ractically  three  inches.  These 
advantages  of  protection  both  in  winter  and  summer  with  an  abundance 
of  rain-fall  furnish  ideal  conditions  for  the  growing  and  harvesting  of 
fruit,  while  at  the  same  time  one  has  the  advantage  of  living  in  one  of 
the  most  delightful  and  without  question,  the  healthiest  place  in 
Ajnerica. 

MARKETS. 

Michigan  is  the  most  centrally  located  fruit  State  in  the  Union  com- 
manding the  markets  east,  west,  north  and  south.  Our  transportation 
facilities  are  far  superior  to  those  found  in  any  other  fruit  growing- 
section.  I  do  not  need  to  detail  the  thousands  of  miles  of  railroad  and 
interurban  lines  in  the  ^>tate  or  numerate  the  scores  of  vessels  plying 
on  our  Great  Lakes  always  ready  to  carry  the  farmer's  produce  by  rapid 
transit  to  the  great  consuming  centers,  but  it  suflSces  to  say  that  there 
is  no  State  in  the  Union  that  can  place  their  fruit  in  the  great  consum- 
ing centers  more  quickly  or  cheaper  than  it  can  be  done  from  Michigan. 

Much  has  been  done  to  advance  the  cause  of  Horticulture  in  Michigan. 
The  late  T.  T.  Lyon  did  a  splendid  Avork  along  various  Horticultural 
lines  and  a  distinctive  work  in  planting  and  determining  the  varieties 
of  apples  that  would  do  the  best  in  the  state.  Paul  Rose  in  his  work 
with  cherries  has  done  a  marvelous  work  for  the  State,  worth  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars  by  proving  by  actually  growing  the  best  cherries 
that  are  grown  in  the  world.  Horace  Sessions  has  proved  to  us  that 
the  life  of  the  peach  tree  when  properly  cared  for  is  almost  equal  to  the 
life  of  a  man.  One  part  of  his  orchard  over  thirty  years  old  is  still 
bearing  successive  crops  of  magnificent  fruit.  The  work  of  the  late 
R.  M.  Kellogg  has  not  yet  been  sufficiently  appreciated  but  he  did  a 
fundamental,  painstaking  work,  and  proved  to  us  beyond  no  question  of 
doubt  that  blood  will  tell  in  trees  and  plants  as  well  as  in  the  human 
race.  Mr.  Bailey  has  been  most  painstaking  in  his  work.  He  has  con- 
tributed to  our  Horticultural  literature  and  gathered  for  us  information 
and  data  that  is  most  valuable.  Luther  Burbank,  that  marvellous  gentle- 
men, the  Avizard  of  Horticulture  by  selection  and  hyberdizing  has  given 
us  an  insight  into  the  possibilities  of  greatly  improving  even  the  best 
fruits  that  Ave  are  growing  today.  The  State  Horticultural  Society  has 
gathered  together  from  year  to  year,  the  ablest  groAvers  of  the  land,  and 
told  of  the  successes  and  failures,  profited  by  each  othei'S  experience 
and  contributed  liberally,  not  only  to  the  literature  of  Horticulture,  but 
the  Society  Avork  has  been  a  source  of  inspiration  in  every  community 
Avhere  they  have  held  their  meetings.    The  Experiment  Station  has  done 


30 

a  splendid  work  in  testing  out  new  varieties  and  methods.  The 
Farmer's  Institutes  have  been  a  help  in  bringing  together  those  inter- 
ested in  growing  fruit  and  discussing  the  live  Horticultural  topics.  The 
local  Horticultural  Society  have  been  a  source  of  inspiration,  and  have 
been  a  help  to  the  local  communities  in  which  they  have  been  organized. 
All  of  this  is  good  work,  but  it  is  all  along  the  old  lines.  It  is  now  time 
for  progression,  the  grower  needs  to  be  shown  and  helped  to  do  on  his 
own  farm,  or  at  least  in  his  own  community.  The  dairy  interests  of  the 
State  were  out-of-date  and  lacked  progression  under  the  old  methods 
of  simply  writing  and  talking  about  dairying,  but  when  a  few  progres- 
sive men  got  their  heads  together  and  pressed  the  matter  and  saw  what 
was  being  done  in  other  states,  and  the  dairy  and  food  department  was 
organized  and  got  busy,  they  sent  men  out  into  the  various  communities 
and  helped  them  to  organize  co-operative  creameries.  They  showed  them 
how  to  test  their  milk  and  cream  and  how  to  determine  whether  a  cow 
was  paying  for  her  board  or  not.  With  this  direct  help  from  the  State 
the  dairy  interest  took  on  larger  proportions.  Farmers  saw  where  they 
were  losing  money  and  the  dairy  interest  of  the  State  began  to  grow  by 
leaps  and  bounds.  A  splendid  beginning,  although  there  is  much  needed 
work  yet  along  this  line,  and  the  one  thing  that  is  most  needed  to  develop 
the  Horticultural  interests  of  this  State  properly  is  a  department  so 
organized  and  so  financed  that  it  can  make  itself  practically  helpful  in 
the  development  of  Michigan  Horticulture,  by  going  directly  into  the 
communities  and  showing  them  how  to  do,  as  well  as  what  to  do. 


COMMISSION   AND   ITS   POLICIES. 

HON.    WILLIAM    KELLEY,    VULCAN.    MEMBER    OF    PUBLIC    DOMAIN    COMMISSION. 

Mr.  (jlhairman.  Ladies  and  (jrentlemen  : 

The  Public  Domain  Commission  is  open  to  the  criticism,  and  I  believe 
Las  been  criticised  because  it  is  not  composed  in  large  part  of  men  who 
have  been  identified  with  the  cause  of  forestry  in  the  State  of  Michigan. 
Its  functions  are,  however,  not  confined  entirely  to  that  subject,  but 
embrace  the  larger  one  of  the  proper  management,  disposition,  or  con- 
trol of  the  public  lands  of  the  State.  If  it  was  composed  of  specialists, 
it  would  be  in  danger  of  illustrating  the  adage  that  too  many  cooks 
spoil  the  broth.  Its  selection  is  based  rather  on  the  general  principle 
that  a  board  of  directors  should  be  men  of  standing,  business  ability, 
and  a  knowledge  of  the  general  conditions  to  be  met,  who  would  call  in 
technical  assistants  to  advise  them,  or  to  take  charge  of  such  parts  of 
the  management  as  require  special  fitness.  In  constituting  the  Com- 
mission the  somcAvhat  general,  and  1  consider  most  unfortunate  suspi- 
cion of  the  appointive  power,  has  been  avoided  by  the  prescribed  selec- 
tion of  three  of  the  State  officers  ex-officio,  and  three  members,  one  each 
selected  from  their  own  number  by  the  regents  and  boards  of  the  three 
leading  educational  institutions  of  the  State.  While  this  has  resulted 
well,  it  mav  fairlv  be  regretted  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  constitution 


31 

of  the  board  to  invite  specifically  the  iufliieuce  that  inheres  to  the  gov- 
ernorship, bnt  it  may  generally  be  assumed  that  such  a  board  would  be 
ready  at  all  times  to  cooperate  with  the  chief  executive  in  any  plans  for 
the  welfare  of  the  State.  It  is  especially  fortunate  that  the  Auditor 
General  and  the  Commissioner  of  the  State  Land  Office  are  members  of 
this  Commission,  for  it  has  helped  to  bring  their  two  offices  into  closer 
touch  and  to  facilitate  the  transfer  of  State  lands  from  the  Auditor 
General  to  the  Land  Department  Avhere  they  become  available  for  for- 
estry purposes,  or  can  be  offered  for  sale,  as  the  Commission  may  direct. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Commission  that  I  attended,  I  learned 
that  not  only  were  three  members  State  officers  but  that  all  the  members 
except  myself  had  previously  been  State  senators.  It  was  natural  to 
wonder  whether  the  past  and  present  affiliations  of  these  men  would  lead 
to  any  political  activities  as  members  of  the  Commission.  After  an 
association  of  three  years,  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say  that  the  only  way 
in  which  their  political  experience  has  been  evidenced  is  in  their  efforts 
to  secure  the  best  interests  of  the  State  and  its  citizens.  There  has  been 
no  intimation  of  any  desire  to  secure  any  personal  or  party  advantage. 

As  to  their  probity  and  character,  I  desire  to  take  this  public  oppor- 
tunity to  congratulate  the  people  of  the  State  of  Michigan  upon  the  men 
to  whom  have  been  committed  the  great  interests  in  their  charge. 

The  greatest  destructive  agency  of  the  forest  interests  of  the  State  is 
fire.  From  its  first  meeting  the  Commission  has  realized  the  importance 
of  exerting  every  effort  to  prevent  and  limit  the  devastation  caused  by 
forest  fires.  Unfortunately,  the  laws  are  not  sufficiently  clear  as  to  the 
responsibility  in  this  field.  An  officer  entitled  the  State  Game,  Fish, 
and  Forestry  Warden  is  primarily  charged  with  the  prevention  and 
control  of  forest  fires.  He  is  empowered  to  employ  deputies  and  has  at 
his  command  a  fund  of  $10,000.00  a  year  Avhich  may  be  used  for  this 
purpose.  The  law  under  which  the  Public  Domain  Commission  is  con- 
stituted specifies  -that  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  forest  fires  the  State 
Game,  Fish  and  Forestry  Warden  shall  be  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Commission.  As  this  officer  is  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  has  other 
duties  to  perform,  his  relationship  to  the  Commission  is  not  sufficiently 
definite,  and  may  even  be  entirely  disregarded  by  him.  Either  the  Com- 
mission should  have  the  appointment  of  a  fire  warden  or  it  should  be 
relieved  of  all  responsibility  for  forest  fires. 

The  Commission  was  authorized  to  appoint  a  Supervisor  of  Trespass. 
Its  first  selection  was  Mr.  Muushaw  who  has  been  succeeded  by  Mr. 
Mulhern  when  the  former  was  appointed  Assistant  Land  Commissioner. 
These  men  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  Commission  of  the  State 
Land  Office  have  prosecuted  their  Avork  with  such  efficiency  that  during 
the  first  eighteen  months  nearly  16,000.00  was  added  to  the  State  Treas- 
ury from  fines.  As  a  further  result  of  their  activity,  this  source  of 
revenue  has  been  materially  decreased. 

When  the  Commission  was  organized  it  took  over  from  the  Michigan 
Forestry  Commission  which  it  superseded  two  tracts  of  forest  reserves 
aggregating  about  40,000  acres.  One  of  these,  the  Higgins  Lake  reserve, 
is  partly  in  the  southern  part  of  Crawford  and  the  northern  part  of  Eos- 
common  counties.  The  other,  the  Houghton  Lake  reserve,  is  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Roscommon  countv.    A  nurserv  had  been  established  on  the 


32 

northern  reserve  and  reforestation  had  been  begnn.  It  became  evident 
very  soon  that  the  services  of  a  trained  forester  was  required  to  take 
charge  of  tliis  work,  and  ^Iv.  Marcus  Schaaf  who  had  taken  his  techni- 
cal training  at  liiltmore  and  had  had  practical  experience  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  was  selected.  Mr.  Schaaf  is  the  Forester  of 
the  Connnission.  although  his  title  under  the  law  is  Forestry  Warden, 
unfortunately  a  duplication  of  ])art  of  the  title  of  another  officer.  The 
forester  has  not  only  had  charge  of  the  work  on  the  forest  reserves,  but 
has  examined  other  lands,  prepared  preliminary  plans  for  the  establish- 
ment of  forest  reserves  in  other  parts  of  the  State,  and  reported  upon 
])roposals  for  exchanging  lands.  Under  certain  conditions  laid  down 
by  the  rommission,  his  services  may  be  engaged  by  others  in  the  State, 
for  advice  in   forestry  matters. 

The  work  on  the  forest  reserves  in  Crawford  and  Roscommon  counties 
has  consisted  in  extending  and  working  the  fire  lines,  conducting  the 
nursery  and  reforesting.  The  buildings  on  both  reserves  have  required 
repairs  and  a  new  and  substantial  custodian's  and  headquarters  build- 
ing has  been  erected  on  the  Higgins  Lake  reserve.  The  appropriations 
available  have  not  permitted  the  work  of  reforestation  to  proceed  on  a 
scale  adequate  to  its  importance.  It  seems  almost  pitiful  that  with  the 
funds  in  hand  it  has  been  possible  to  reforest  only  120  acres  a  year. 
With  the  organization  at  hand,  every  additional  dollar  appropriated 
would  go  directly  to  increasing  the  prospective  value  of  these  two  re- 
serves, or  the  preparing  of  other  reserves  for  like  purposes.  Since  plant- 
ing began  eight  years  ago  between  800  and  900  acres  have  been  success- 
fully reforested — such  an  acreage  should  be  planted  every  year. 

The  existing  reserves  have  been  sources  of  revenue  on  a  small  scale 
from  the  sale  of  dead  and  down  timber,  of  nui'sery  stock,  and  of  marsh 
hay.  Over  |1,000.00  was  received  from  these  sources  during  the  first 
eighteen  months,  but  this  income  under  the  law  is  turned  into  the  State 
Treasury  and  is  not  available  for  disbursements  by  the  Commission. 

The  purpose  which  in  the  main  justifies  the  undertaking  of  forestry 
operations  is  ultimate  connnercial  profit.  A  forest  is  a  crop  which 
takes  many  years  to  cnme  to  maturity.  It  is  only  large  corporations 
with  promise  of  activities  over  extended  periods,  or  States  and  muni- 
cipalities which  can  engage  in  this  work.  The  experience  of  foreign 
countries  justifies  the  exjjectation  that  with  the  ])roper  consideration 
of  the  differences  of  climate  and  soil  and  prospective  changes  in  building 
materials,  forestry  operations  in  this  country  may  be  prosecuted  with 
ultimate  profit.  It  is,  therefore,  highly  desirable  that  from  the  com- 
mencement the  account  books  of  a  forestry  operation  should  show  both 
receipts  and  exi)enditures  from  year  to  year.  From  the  very  start  in 
Michigan  there  have  been  financial  recei])ts  which  are  worth  gathering, 
and  which  will  increase  and  eventually  overbalance  the  expenditures,  if 
the  timber  now  growing  on  the  State  lands  can  be  protected  and  im- 
proved. 

The  Conmiission,  under  the  law  which  called  it  into  being  Avas 
charged  with  selecting  from  the  lands  owned  by  the  State  at  least 
200,000  acres  for  forestry  purposes.  The  land  now  under  reservation 
aggregates  something  over  2^^0,000  acres.  Several  considerations  in- 
fluenced  the  Commission   in   niakinu'  the  selection.      First:      The    land 


33 

should  be  uou-agricultiiral  land.  This  really  is  not  an  exact  term,  for 
in  the  course  of  time  improved  methods  may  permit  the  use  for  annual 
crops  of  lauds  not  now  profitable.  It  would  be  j^enerally  considered  un- 
reasonable, however,  to  take  for  forestry  purjioses  what  could  now  profit- 
ably support  agriculture.  Second:  The  laud  should  be  in  large  fairly 
contiguous  tracts,  except  in  counties  where  only  a  small  acreage  Avas 
in  the  hands  of  the  State  and  there  small  parcels  were  set  aside  which 
might  eventually  be  used  for  illustrating  wood  lot  management.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  unfortuuate  conditions  of  forestry  in  this  State  that 
government  subdivisions  are  so  small  and  that  the  ownershij)  is  so 
scattered.  Economical  protection  against  fire  is  jjossible  only  with  large 
or  combined  holdings.  Third :  It  Avould  be  manifestly  unfair  to  select 
inordinately  large  areas  in  certain  few  counties.  The  organization  of 
local  government  requires  that  the  lands  withdraAvn  from  active  par- 
ticipation in  public  affairs  should  not  be  excessive. 

Power  has  been  given  to  the  Commission  to  exchange  lands  not  con- 
tiguous to  the  reserve  lands  for  lands  included  in  the  reserve  limits. 
This  is  likely  to  be  a  slow  process  and  funds  might  properly  be  pro- 
vided to  buy  such  interior  lands  when  they  are  in  the  market.  Other 
states  are  spending  large  sums  in  the  purchase  of  lands  for  forestry  pur- 
poses, and  Michigan  as  yet  has  not  provided  money  to  properly  care  for 
the  lands  she  has. 

Preliminary  plans  have  been  made  for  the  care  and  improvement  qf 
the  Lake  Superior  State  Forest  in  Luce  county,  of  the  Fife  Lake  State 
Forest  in  Grand  Traverse  county,  and  of  the  Forest  of  Lakes  State 
Forest  in  Grand  Traverse  county  and  Kalkaska  county.  When  funds 
are  in  hand  for  beginning  work  on  these  reserves,  plans  will  be  made  for 
improving  other  reserves. 

The  law  requires  that  lands  not  set  aside  for  forestry  purposes  shall 
be  sold.  The  method  of  sale  has  been  changed.  Formerly  sales  were 
made  only  by  application  at  Lansing.  Now  they  are  carefully  appraised 
by  Land  Office  agents,  advertised  and  sold  at  public  auction  at  the  re- 
spective county  seats.  This  method  has  resulted  in  increasing  sales  very 
largely  by  calling  the  attention  of  people  to  the  lands  that  can  be 
bought  in  their  neighborhood  and  results  in  bringing  these  lands  into 
active  use  and  adding  them  to  the  tax  roll.  From  time  to  time  the  valua- 
tion of  the  lands  for  sale  has  been  advanced,  and  now  the  minimum 
price  for  the  poor  lands  is  |2.UU  per  acre.  Whether  this  minimum  should 
be  still  further  increased  is  an  open  question.  Cogent  arguments  can 
be  presented  upon  both  sides.  The  Connnission  has  thought  it  desirable 
for  the  present  not  to  prevent  the  sale  of  these  lands  not  wanted  for 
forestry  purposes  by  placing  what  might  be  a  i)rohibitive  price  on  them. 

The  Commission  has  observed  with  regret  that  in  certain  instances 
lands  of  poor  quality  have  been  platted  and  lots  sold  much  above  their 
value  for  any  reasonable  purpose.  The  prevention  of  such  practices  is 
outside  the  province  of  the  Commission,  but  it  has  included  in  the  forest 
reserve  land  such  lots  of  this  category  as  have  come  into  the  hands  of 
the  State  through  the  non-payment  of  taxes  in  order  to  prevent  their 
being  re-sold  and  used  again  for  speculative  purposes. 

During  the  last  five  years  in  several  parts  of  the  State  societies  have 
been  organized  for  the  purpo.se  of  developing  the  resources  of  the  neigh- 
5 


34 

boring  districts  agriculturally  and  otherwise.  These  efforts  seem  to  be 
directed  intelligently  to  increase  the  wealth  of  the  State  and  the  welfare 
of  its  citizens  and  have  had  the  sympathy  and  co-operation  as  far  as 
possible  of  the  Commission. 

Numerous  enquiries  have  been  received  in  regard  to  lands  available 
for  purchase  throughout  the  State  and  the  opportunity  for  settlers.  At 
the  last  regular  session,  the  Legislature  authorized  the  Commission  to 
.emplo.y  a  Commissioner  of  Immigration.  Hon.  A.  0.  Carton,  who  has 
been  the  secretary  of  the  Commission  from  its  organization,  was  given 
the  additional  title.  He  has  been  able  to  open  a  way  for  the  farmers  of 
the  State  to  make  known  their  wants  in  the  way  of  farm  labor  to  the 
United  States  Immigration  Department,  which  connection  we  hope  will 
be  of  great  advantage  to  all  parties.  The  recent  publication  of  a  pam- 
phlet ou  the  Wood  Using  Industries  of  Michigan  is  another  splendid  re- 
sult of  his  activities. 

The  Public  Domain  Commission  is  by  law  obliged  to  make  reservation 
of  all  mineral  rights  in  the  sale  of  lands.  Several  tentative  enquiries 
have  been  made  and  a  definite  request  for  an  option  for  the  exploration 
and  lease  of  State  lands  in  Montmorency  county  for  the  production  of 
petroleum  and  gas  is  under  consideration.  The  State  Geologist  and  the 
Attorney  General  have  been  assisting  the  Commission  in  this  matter. 

Public  sentiment  with  reference  to  forestry  matters  has  made  notable 
advances  during  the  last  few  years,  but  there  is  still  a  large  proportion 
of  the  citizens  of  the  State  who  fail  to  realize  its  importance.  It  has 
not  seemed  to  the  Public  Domain  Commission  that  it  is  charged  with  the 
duty  of  organizing  a  propaganda  to  stimulate  public  sentiment  on  this 
question.  This  is  a  field  of  service  which  is  open  to  the  forest  advo- 
cates throughout  the  State,  and  which  is  worthy  of  vigorous  cultivation. 
The  Public  Domain  Commission  will  be  found  ready  as  far  as  their 
power  permits  to  cooperate  in  such  work  and  to  forward  to  the  best  of 
their  ability  the  development  of  the  forest  resources  of  the  State  of 
Michigan. 


NEEDED  LEGISLATION  TO  CONSERVE  WILD  GAME  AND  BIRD 

LIFE. 

HON.    WILLIAM   R.   OATES,  STATK   GAME,  FISH  AND  FORESTRY   WARDEN. 

Mr.   Cliairman,   I^adies  and  Gentlemen: 

Early  in  its  history  Micliigan  recognized  the  importance  of  enacting 
restrictive  legishition  against  the  killing  of  wild  birds  and  animals. 
Protective  measures  to  guard  our  game  resources  have  received  the  con- 
sideration of  succeeding  legislatures  since  1859  and  each  session  has 
been  marked  by  some  advanced  step,  either  closing  or  limitiug  the  season 
on  fcrtaiii  species  of  game  or  regulating  in  a  nu)re  stringent  way  the 
taking,  killing  or  shipment  of  game. 

During  recent  years  the  sportsmen  of  the  State  have  shown  a  keener 
interest  and  have  manifested  a  more  cordial  spirit  of  co-operation  in 
the  work  of  the  Game  and  Fish  Department.     They  not  only  recognize 


35 

the  value  of  preserving  our  wild  life  but  are  cognizant  of  the  difficulties 
Avhich  beset  the  limited  patrol  force  at  our  command.  In  consequence 
the  pot-hunter,  game  hog  and  dynamiter  (they  are  all  in  the  same  class) 
who  wantonly  destroy  game  or  fish  very  seldom  secure  immunity  from  the 
punishment  which  he  richly  deserves.  It  has  always  been  my  opinion  that 
tlie  work  of  the  Department  will  be  much  more  resultful  if  we  can  edu- 
cate the  people  to  conform  to  the  laws  rather  than  punish  them  after  the 
law  has  Ibeen  violated.  The  inauguration  of  the  Boy  Forest  Scout  move- 
ment is  an  attempt  to  educate  the  boys  and  girls  to  realize  the  value  of 
birds,  encourage  their  study,  as  well  as  to  enlist  their  interest  and  as- 
sistance in  the  suppression  of  forest  fires.  The  game  and  fish  laws,  like 
other  laws,  must  have  a  healthy  public  sentiment  back  of  them  if  the 
enforcement  is  to  be  efl'ective.  The  true  sportsmen  of  Michigan  are  help- 
ing us  to  create  that  sentiment. 

I  also  think  that  most  of  them  are  heartily  in  accord  with  the  plans 
and  purposes  of  this  conference  which  is  to  discuss  and  carry  out  as  far 
as  possible  a  more  eftective  conservation  policy  in  reference  to  our 
natural  resources.  I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity  here  presented  to  dis- 
cuss a  certain  phase  of  conservation  which  to  date  has  had  very  little 
consideration  in  Michigan.  Good  results  have  been  obtained  in  con- 
serving our  forests,  water-power,  mineral  and  other  resources.  The 
necessity  of  scientifically  propagating  game  and  commercial  fish  fry  has 
also  been  recognized  and  the  activities  of  both  the  federal  and  State 
authorities  have  been  most  effective  along  this  line.  Legislation  has 
been  enacted  which  has  shown  our  alertness  in  conserving  these  re- 
sources, yet  very  little  if  any  attention  has  been  devoted  to  conserving 
our  birds  and  game  animals.  I  am  hopeful  that  the  united  action  of  this 
conference  will  result  in  something  being  done  to  conserve  our  wild  life. 

While  practical  and  scientific  conservation  is  a  recent  development  in 
our  country,  yet  in  Michigan  game  conservation,  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  State,  received  little  or  no  consideration.  In  view  of  the  interest 
shown  by  our  people  in  conserving  the  natural  resources  which  I  have 
mentioned  it  seems  almost  paradoxical  that  game  conservation 
should  be  ignored.  It  cannot  be  said  that  the  sportsmen  expect  the 
supply  of  deer,  ruffed  grouse,  quail  and  other  game  to  continue  un- 
diminished if  no  practical  or  scientific  methods  are  employed  for  their 
conservation.  It  is  a  conservative  estimate  that  23,000  hunters  were  in 
the  woods  during  the  last  deer  hunting  season.  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
12,000  deer  were  slaughtered  not  counting  the  number  which  was  de- 
stroyed by  wolves.  If  I  may  be  permitted  the  digression,  it  might  be  of 
interest  for  me  to  point  out  at  this  time  that  nearly  80%  of  the  deer 
killed  last  season  were  does  and  fawns.  This  is  the  result  of  the  change 
in  the  law  which  provides  that  the  deer  season  shall  open  on  October 
15th  and  I  hope  the  mistake  will  be  rectified  by  the  next  legislature. 
The  timber  area  is  being  slowly  and  surely  depleted  and  the  time  to 
conserve  our  wild  life  is  before  it  becomes  too  late,  not  when  it  becomes 
necessary  to  restock  our  covers  and  refuges  with  imported  game.  While 
the  necessity  of  game  propagation  is  of  the  highest  importance,  yet  the 
conservation  of  our  bird  life  is  far  more  so.  This  is  a  matter  which, 
should  particularly  demand  the  attention  of  those  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits.     In  view  of  the  earnestness  and  force  which  has  char- 


36 

acterized  the  discussion  of  this  matter  by  ornithologists  and  others,  it 
■svould  be  a  reflection  on  the  farmer  to  say  that  he  misapprehends  the 
value  of  the  insect  eating  birds.  The  service  rendered  by  birds  as  crop 
and  tree  protectors  and  destroyers  of  vermin  is  well  known  by  everyone 
Avho  has  given  the  matter  any  attention.  Aside  from  the  aesthetic  value 
of  birds,  their  beautiful  plumage,  their  song,  the  mystery  of  their  move- 
ments, the  joy  and  happiness  that  they  afford  us  the  value  of  their  life 
work  "creating,  'as  Dr.  Kabus  says,'  the  balance  wheel  between  insect 
life  and  vegetation."  Their  great  economic  value  to  the  farmer  alone 
should  be  a  convincing  inducement  for  their  active  co-operation  in  in- 
augurating a  most  careful  and  complete  system  of  conservation. 

The  noted  zoologist.  Professor  Surface  has  said  in  his  opinion  the 
world  would  not  be  inhabited  by  man  in  ten  years  if  insects  Avere  per- 
mitted to  increase  unchecked.  The  United  States  Bureau  of  Entomology 
has  shown  us  the  widespread  devastation  caused  by  certain  insects.  Dr. 
Shiner  estimates  an  annual  damage  to  crops  of  the  Mississippi  valley, 
by  the  chinck  bug  as  high  as  one  hundred  million  dollars.  Dr.  Linter 
estimates  the  annual  loss  to  farmers  caused  by  cut  worms  as  one  hun- 
dred million  dollars  and  Mr.  Forbush  maintains  that  insect  pests  an- 
nually destroy  agricultural  i)roducts  in  the  country  to  the  value  of 
eight  hundred  million  dollars.  He  estimates  that  single  yellow  throated 
warbler  Avill  consume  ten  thousand  aphids  or  tree  lice  in  a  day,  and 
scarlet  tanagers  have  been  seen  to  eat  forty-five  gipsy  moths  a  minute 
for  eighteen  minutes  at  a  time.  The  United  States  Biological  Survey 
examined  the  crops  of  thirty-five  thousand  birds  and  the  result  of  their 
investigations  are  startling.  Thirty  grasshoppers  and  two  hundred  fifty 
caterpillars  were  found  in  the  crops  of  cuckoos.  In  the  crop  of  a  night- 
hawk  were  found  sixty  grasshoppers  and  in  another  five  hundred  mos- 
quitoes. Thirty-eight  cut  worms  were  found  in  the  crop  of  a  black  bird 
and  sevent}^  canker  worms  were  found  in  the  crop  of  a  cedar  bird. 
Though  a  so-called  game  bird,  we  are  reliably  informed  that  the  quail 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  assistants  to  the  farmer.  It  is  assumed 
by  some  that  it  feeds  on  seeds  rather  than  insects.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
it  feeds  on  chinch  bugs,  cotton  worms,  army  worms,  potato  beetles, 
striped  cucumber  beetles,  grasshoppers  and  many  other  insects  and  the 
seeds  that  they  eat  are  largely  those  of  the  harmful  Aveed  such  as  the 
rag  Aveed  and  the  like.  I  believe  it  will  pay  the  farmer  to  pro])agate 
quail.  It  may  be  of  some  interest  to  note  in  this  connection  that  at 
the  last  special  session  of  the  legislature  an  act  Avas  passed  prohibiting 
the  taking  of  these  birds  until  1914, 

It  is  not  i)ossib]e  in  the  limited  time  at  my  disposal  to  show  by  actual 
figures  the  value  of  the  many  insectivorous  birds  of  Michigan,  but  to 
those  seeking  information  on  their  habits,  I  Avould  conunend  the  most 
instructive  bulletins  of  Professor  BarroAVS.  For  economical  reasons 
alone,  enough  has  been  said  to  Avarrant  an  a])i)eal  to  the  farmers  of  the 
State,  to  aid  in  securing  legislation  to  multijjly  and  ])roi»agate  the  in- 
sectivorous birds  by  State  authority.  If  there  Avere  no  birds  there  Avould 
be  no  crops  either  of  fruit  or  grain.  This  alone  should  insure  the  active 
co-operation  of  the  farmer  with  the  Avork  of  this  De])artment  in  pro- 
tecting and  conserving  the  birds  of  the  State.  As  succinctly  and  con- 
vincingly stated  by  the  United  States  Senate  Committee  on  game  pro- 
tection "but  for  the  Aegetatiou  the  insects  Avould  perish  and  but  for  the 


37 

insects  the  birds  would  perish  and  but  for  tlie  birds  the  vegetation  would 
be  utterly  destroyed  by  the  unchecked  increase  of  insect  destroyers." 

There  are,  however,  higher  and  better  reasons  for  the  preservation  of 
our  birds  vastly  more  powerful  than  any  which  have  been  named — 
reasons  which  appeal  to  every  man  and  woman  who  have  a  love  for  the 
true  and  beautiful  no  matter  whether  they  live  on  the  farm  or  in  the 
city.  As  eloquently  stated  by  a  writer  in  one  of  our  magazines  "How 
the  soul  in  everyone  of  us  is  ever  longing  for  the  beautiful  Avhich  is  the 
truth,  and  where  better  shall  this  longing  lead  us  than  to  friendship 
and  communion  Avith  the  birds  that  nature  has  endowed  with  such  adorn- 
ments and  sweet  voices  that  they  almost  seem  winged  messengers  from 
the  portals  of  heaven.  What  lessons  of  love  and  parental  care  do  they 
bring  to  us?  How  our  affections  are  softened,  our  ideals  purified,  our 
aspirations  raised  and  our  whole  lives  exalted  by  study  and  communing 
with  them.  No  one  but  a  real  bird  lover  and  student  can  even  faintly 
comprehend." 

While  the  ]jeople  generally  have  not  given  much  attention  to  this 
matter,  yet  it  would  be  unfair  to  pass  this  phase  of  the  subject  without 
paying  a  tribute  of  our  appreciation  to  some  of  Michigan's  bird  lovers 
like  Mr.  Henry  Ford,  of  Detroit,  Governor  Osborn,  Mr.  W.  B.  Mershon, 
Mr.  Jefferson  Butler  and  other  splendid  sportsmen  who  have  devoted  so 
much  time  and  work  to  bird  preservation.  Mr.  Ford's  bird  refuges  near 
Detroit  are  not  only  a  noble  evidence  of  his  love  for  the  beautiful,  but 
a  concrete  example  of  what  the  State  could  do  in  a  practical  way  to 
preserve  its  bird  life.  Governor  Osborn's  life  long  study,  interest  and 
activity  in  the  preservation  of  bird  life  is  well  known  and  I  am  assured 
of  his  cordial  co-operation  and  kindly  approval  of  legislation  which 
will  more  effectively  preserve  our  wild  life.  The  State's  sportsman's 
association  under  the  energetic  leadership  of  Mr.  Mershon  has  been 
largely  responsible  for  the  interest  that  does  exist  in  this  matter  among 
the  sportsmen  of  the  State  today  and  his  kindly  aid  in  the  movement  we 
have  recently  organized  in  enlisting  the  services  of  the  boys  in  prevent- 
ing forest  fires  and  protecting  our  birds,  and  providing  at  his  own  ex- 
pense medal  rewards  is  worthy  of  high  commendation. 

Before  proi)Osing  plans  to  extend  the  scope  of  our  work  and  making 
such  plans  effective,  it  might  be  pertinent  if  I  should  outline  briefly 
some  of  the  work  the  Game,  Fish  and  Forestry  Department  is  engaged 
in  at  the  present  time  and  to  show  by  comparison  with  some  of  the 
most  important  of  our  sister  states  Avhat  Michigan  is  doing  in  a  pro- 
tective and  regulative  way  to  preserve  our  rapidly  diminishing  animal 
and  bird  life.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  interesting  to  estimate  in  a 
general  way  the  value  of  our  game,  and  fish  resources,  the  extent  of  the 
territory  which  we  patrol,  the  actual  work  accomplished  and  the  funds 
jjrovided  by  law  for  warden  service.  It  may  also  be  well  to  remember  at 
the  outset  that  Michigan  makes  no  legislative  appropriation  to  protect 
its  game  and  fish  resources.  The  fund  to  pay  for  such  protection  and 
warden  expense  is  derived  from  the  sale  of  deer  hunting  licenses.  The 
amount  received  from  this  source  during  the  last  year  was  |2(),()I0.50 
as  against  |28,532.o0  for  the  year  previous.  A  less  number  of  non- 
resident licenses  were  issued  last  year  because  the  new  law  prohibited 
residents  of  foreign  states  from  shipping  outside  the  State  the  deer 
which  they  killed.     In  consequence  non-resident  deer  hunters  went  to 


38 

other  states  where  they  could  ship  the  deer  which  they  secured.  This 
Department  received  during  the  last  year  |9,918.00  from  the  sale  of 
commercial  fishing  licenses,  all  of  which,  however,  is  practically  utilized 
for  expenses  of  commercial  fishing  and  boat  patrol  of  the  Great  Lakes 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  this  State.  Here  are  some  estimates  on  the 
value  of  commercial  fishing  in  Michigan  waters  which  may  be  worthy  of 
consideration. 

Value  of  lands,  boats  and  nets  used  in  commercial  fishing $2  ,500 ,000  00 

Number  of  men  employed,  4,000,  to  which  are  paid  salaries  amounting  to.  800,000  00 

Number  miles  gill  nets  used 7  ,000 

Number  of  pounds  of  fish  taken  in  1911,  34,000,000  value $2 ,058  ,660  00 

The  following  estimate  on  the  value  of  our  game  may  be  interesting: 

Deer  killed  in  1911,  12,000,  the  value  of  which  was $67  ,500  00 

150,000  hunters  of  small  game  killed  to  the  value  of 300  ,000  00 

Value  of  fur-bearing  animals  killed  in  1911 1  ,275  ,000  00 

Value  of  non-resident  fishermen  and  hunters  to  Michigan 1  ,000  ,000  00 

Aside  from  the  value  of  our  song  and  insectiverous  birds  which  is  so 
great  that  it  cannot  be  estimated,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  yearly 
value  of  fish,  game  and  fur-bearing  animals  aggregates  |7,24G,1GO.OO. 
That  thirty-nine  thousand  dollars  was  expended  for  warden  services 
per  annum,  which  amount  is  not  derived  from  appropriation  or  i)roperty 
tax  but  by  those  who  avail  themselves  of  the  sport  afforded  or  who  are 
engaged  in  the  commercial  fishing  business.  That  this  is  the  total 
amount  provided  for  the  services  and  expenses  of  twenty-nine  deputies 
whose  business  it  is  to  patrol  2,200  miles  of  lake  coast,  nearly  10,000 
inland  lakes,  15,000  miles  of  streams  besides  the  natural  haunts  and 
territory  inhabited  by  game,  the  extent  of  which  cannot  be  estimated. 
From  July  first,  1911  to  June  first,  1912,  the  eleven  months  of  my  in- 
cumbency 112,154.32  in  fines  were  collected  and  turned  over  to  the  State : 
f  1,619.24  from  the  sale  of  confiscated  property ;  and  fish  and  game  to  the 
value  of  $4,230  has  been  seized  and  sent  to  charitable  and  other  public 
institutions  of  the  State.  While  we  regret  to  report  so  many  arrests 
and  convictions,  yet  a  comparative  statement  of  the  eleven  months  of 
the  previous  year  with  the  last  eleven  months  reveals  the  following  facts : 

July  1,  1910  July  1,  1911 

July  1,  1911  June  1,  1912 

Nimiber  of  complaints  investigated 1  ,324  1  ,594 

Number  of  cases  begun 755  886 

Number  convicted 665  759 

Number  acquitted 24  29 

Number  dismissed 14  20 

Number  pending 52  78 

Amount  of  fines  and  costs $10 ,673  33                     $12 ,154  02 

Arrests  for  violations  game  laws 409  538 

Arrests  for  violations  fish  laws 346  348 

Sales  reported 313  379 

Proceeds  of  sales 1  ,&41  82                        1  ,619  24 


39 

Funds  appropriated  or  obtained  by  hunter's  license  in  the  following- 
states  : 

California,  hunting  licenses,  fiscal  year  ending  June  30th,  1910 $126  ,734  35 

Colorado,  1910,  resident  hunting  licenses $33  ,684  00 

Non-resident  hunting  licenses 810  00 

Total 34  ,494  00 

Idaho,  1910,  resident  licenses $35  ,688  00 

Non-resident  licenses   81  00 

Non-resident  big  game  licenses 607  00 

Total 37  ,106  30 

Iowa,  1910,  resident  hunting  licenses S107  ,377  00 

Non-resident  hunting  licenses 500  00 

Total 107  ,877  00 

Louisiana,  hunting  licenses  for  1909 84  ,898  73 

Missouri,  1909,  county  resident  licenses $81  ,443  00 

State  resident  licenses 15  ,320  00 

Non-resident  licenses 1  ,475  00 

Total 98  ,238  00 

New  Jersey,  1910,  resident  licenses $57  ,731  50 

Non-resident 5  ,990  00 

Total 63  ,721  50. 

Last  legislature  appropriated  $40,000.00  for  game  preserves. 

North  Dakota,  1910,  resident  licenses $26 ,542  00 

Non-resident  hunting  licenses 2  ,425  00 

Total 28  ,967  00 

Wisconsin,  1909-1910,  resident  licenses $103  ,701  60 

Non-resident  deer  hunting 6  ,700  00 

Non-resident  Small  game  hunting 4  ,160  00 

Total 114  ,561  60 

Ohio — Amount  annually  appropriated  and  expended  for  game 

and  fish  protection 44  ,000  00 

Illinois — Amount  annually  received   and   expended   for  game 

protection 149  ,380  00 

Minnesota,  Amount  appropriated $35 ,000  00 

Resident  licenses 24  ,530  00 

Non-resident  licenses 7  ,038  00 

Other  sources 16 ,496  00 

Total 83  ,064  00 

Pennsylvania,  Amount  appropriated $20  ,100  00 

Hunting  licenses 24  ,000  00 

Total 44  ,100  00 

Appropriated  by  last  legislature  for  game  preserves $15,000  00 


40 

• 

It  is  of  particular  interest  to  comi)are  our  statement  with  the  report 
oC  the  (lame  and  Fish  Department  of  Wisconsin  for  the  last  year  be- 
cause of  the  many  similar  conditions  in  the  administration  of  game  and 
^ish  nuitters  which  confront  both  states. 

WISCONSIN  MICHIGAN 

Total  number  of  arrests  made 953  886 

Total  number  convicted 772  759 

Total  number  acquitted  and  cases  dismissed 69  49 

Number  of  cases  pending 32  78 

Amount  of  fines  and  costs $20  ,989  32  $12  ,154  02 

Receipts  from  confiscations 5 ,367  61  1  ,619  24 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  administrative  work  accomplished  is  prac- 
tically the  same  as  in  Michigan  and  the  amount  of  fines  imposed  in 
excess  of  the  amount  returned  to  this  State  by  our  Department,  yet  the 
expense  of  warden  service  is  almost  four  times  as  much  as  is  annually 
incurred  in  Michigan.  While  it  may  be  said  that  these  facts  and 
figures  may  be  more  ])roperly  incorporated  in  the  Department's  annual 
(and  they  will  be  elaborated  on  in  such  report)  yet  it  is  essential 
in  my  estimation  that  we  wiio  are  interested  in  a  practical  conserva- 
tion ])olicy  should  know  the  character  of  the  work  now  being  done  by 
the  game  and  fish  ])epartment,  the  funds  which  are  expended  for  pro- 
tection, the  territory  i)atrolled  and  the  number  of  wardens  employed 
so  that  we  can  thoroughly  understand  the  recommendations  which  I 
expect  to  make  here  today  and  the  legislation  needed  to  make  it  effective. 
The  information  above  submitted  must  I  believe  show  that  the  limited 
fmids  at  our  disposal  requires  that  the  character  of  our  work  must  nec- 
essarily be  exclusively  protected  and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  we 
have  not  enough  men  or  money  to  accomplish  Avith  efficiency  the  i)rotec- 
tive  results  which  the  value  of  our  great  g;nue  resources  demand.  It 
is  a  penny  wise  and  ])ound  fooli.sh  jiolicy  which  does  not  })rovide  the 
best  sort  of  protection  for  an  asset  so  valuable.  It  is  better  busine.ss 
sense  to  provide  some  practical  methods  for  preserving  the  sadly  de- 
pleted and  remaining  game  life  now  than  to  be  compelled  later  to  im- 
port game  birds  ami  aninuils  at  a  great  cost  for  the  protection  of  our 
ci-oi)s  and  trees  and  to  provide  sport  for  the  recreation  of  our  citizens. 
Many  of  the  states  have  been  comi)elled  to  do  this  very  thing  and  keenly 
legret  that  they  did  not  i)reserve  the  game  when  they  had  it.  I  have 
just  observed  in  the  last  annual  rei)ort  of  the  Bird  Connuissioner  of 
I{h<)de  Island  that  he  was  having  great  diiliculty  in  purchasing  game  to 
restock  the  game  covers  of  that  State.  The  failure  to  do  something  prac- 
tical now  to  j)reserve  our  game  will  not  t>nly  soon  be  regretted  but  it  is 
not  a  scpiare  deal  to  future  generations  to  continue  the  ]>resent  ])olicy. 
We  should  not  gorge  ourselves  now  and  starve  in  the  future.  Maybe 
our  indifference  is  due  to  the  fact  that  om*  peojjle  have  been  too  busy 
lo  give  the  situation  much  thought  or  to  forsee  its  finally  disastrous 
effects,  but  bef()re  it  is  too  late  and  in  order  that  something  j)ractical 
;iud  effective  be  done  to  i)reserve  our  wild  life,  I  propose  now  with  all 
the  earnestness  at  my  command  and  with  a  sincere  hope  that  I  may 
Slave  the  cordial  and  active  co-operation  of  this  conference  and  the 
5>eoi)le  of  the  State  that  game  refuges  and  bird  sanctuaries  be  established 
lin   Michigan  under  State  authority,  that   the  funds  to  be  used  for  that 


41 

purpose  be  obtained  from  the  sale  of  resident  hunters  licenses  and  that 
the  next  legislature  be  asked  to  pass  such  a  law.  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  certain  portions  of  the  State  lands  may  be  adapted  and  can  be 
utilized  for  this  purpose.  I  am  also  advised  that  certain  public  spirited 
citizens  of  this  iState  are  ready  to  dedicate  valuable  preserves  to  the 
State  for  this  purpose.  Many  of  the  states  have  passed  laws  providing 
for  the  establishment  of  farms  for  the  propagation  of  game  and  there 
are  not  a  half  dozen  states  in  the  Union  that  have  not  passed  the  resi- 
dent hunter's  license  law.  The  funds  derived  from  such  a  measure  will 
not  only  insure  better  protection  and  provide  a  means  for  propagating 
our  game,  but  as  shown  by  the  investigations  of  the  federal  authorities 
in  Pennsylvania,  it  will  cripple  the  illegal  traffic  in  game  because  it 
provides  for  a  closer  supervision  of  individual  hunters.  The  success 
which  has  been  achieved  in  the  establishment  of  game  presences  has  I 
believe  passed  the  experimental  stage,  but  this  subject  will  be  presented 
to  you  later  by  a  gentleman  Avhose  observations  are  based  on  a  personal 
knowledge  of  the  actual  value  of  this  work  in  the  different  states.  The 
proposed  hunter's  license  law  for  I'ennsylvania  contains  many  good 
features  which  might  be  favorably  considered  by  the  friends  of  such  a 
measure  in  this  State. 

As  I  have  before  pointed  out  I  believe  it  is  our  bounden  duty  to  insure 
better  protection  for  the  wild  life  of  our  forest,  streams,  and  woodlands 
and  to  use  every  legitimate  means  to  prevent  further  depletion  by  adopt- 
ing some  practical  method  of  propagation  such  as  I  have  suggested.  I 
venture  the  assertion  that  no  true  sportsman  or  lover  of  nature  will  ob- 
ject to  the  pajnieut  of  a  dollar  for  this  purpose. 


FOREST  FIRES  AXU  FOREST  PROTECTION. 

THOMAS   B.    WYMAN^    MUNISING,    NORTHERN    FOREST   PROTECTIVE    ASSOCIATIO'N. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  of  this  Conference: 

No  keener  pleasure  has  been  mine  for  many  a  day  than  that  experi- 
enced when  I  learned  that  this  Conference  was  to  be  held. 

National  Conventions  and  Conferences  in  which  several  States  de- 
liberated have  been  held  but  they  have  treated  the  subjects  with  which 
we  are  concerned  in  an  abstract  way  only;  while  this  Conference,  nuide 
up  of  representatives  of  Michigan's  ovni  paths  of  advancement,  can  dis- 
cuss with  particularity  and  with  earnestness  those  means  and  methods 
by  which  we  can  advance  our  State's  and  hence  our  own  welfare. 

Our  problems,  however  similar,  are  not  precisely  like  those  of  our 
neighboring  states;  our  means  of  solution  vary;  legal  phases  and  phases 
of  constitutionality  may  i)ossibly  alter  or  even  prohibit  desirable  plans. 
A  Michigan  Conference,  however,  should  consider  all  contributing  points 
to  the  end  that  the  road  to  accomplishment  may  be  clearly  blazed  to  all 
our  citizens  who  are  interested  with  us  in  the  proper  and  permanent  de- 
velopment of  our  many  valuable  assets. 

Let  us  not  permit  this  Conference  to  result  in  a  mere  exchange  of 
Ideas !    Let  us  not  pass  important  subjects  without  full  discussion !    Let 


42 

us  unite  in  working  out  our  problems  in  a  spirit  which  will  impress  our 
neighbors  with  the  fact  that  we  are  in  earnest  and  that  we  are  endeavor- 
ing to  bring  about  a  consistent  advancement  in  things,  heretofore  care- 
lessly handled,  of  material  importance  to  every  resident  of  our  common- 
wealth. 

Secretary  Carton  has  given  me  the  subject  ^'Forest  Fires  and  Forest 
Protection,"  and  I  ask  you  to  note  that  the  sequence  of  the  subject  is  in 
true  forest  fire  form — forest  fires  and  then  forest  protection— or,  after 
fires  occur  we  begin  to  look  for  a  preventive  remedy. 

Forest  fires  have  prevailed  in  this  State  so  long,  and  yearly,  that  they 
have  come  to  be  thought  of  as  a  menace  for  which  there  is  no  remedy. 
But  this  position  is  not  tenable  and  is  an  expression  of  the  individual's 
personal  irresponsibility.  Forest  fires  occupy'  the  same  position  in  rela- 
tion to  the  safet}'  of  the  forest  as  do  burning  buildings  to  the  safety  of 
the  town.  But  in  the  latter  instance  organization,  properly  financed, 
is  maintained  at  all  times  to  respond  to  the  first  alarm.  Equipment, 
costly  and  eflflcient,  is  provided  and  fire  drills  and  practices  are  constant 
in  order  that  a  high  degree  of  efiicieucy  may  be  developed. 

In  our  forests,  however,  there  is  a  notable  and  pitiable  lack  of  organi- 
zation. Forest  distances  are  immense,  means  of  communication  and 
transportation  limited,  and  efficient  equipment  not  to  be  had.  Our 
city  business  blocks  are  constructed  as  sources  of  revenue  to  the  owners, 
and  the  protection  of  such  buildings  is  ]n"ovided  for  from  the  general 
tax  budget  contributed  to  by  the  entire  community. 

There  is  no  such  community  contribution  for  the  protection  of  our 
burnable  forests,  which  like  city  buildings  are  managed  for  profit. 
Operations  increase  the  available  fire  food  in  the  nature  of  tops  and 
branches.  You  say  these  tops  and  branches  should  be  piled  and  burned 
and  this  surplus  food  thus  taken  care  of.  This  is  true,  with  limitations. 
Valuable  species,  with  small  amount  of  waste  wood  per  tree,  can  be 
piled  and  burned  and  a  profit  yet  obtained;  but  species  of  low  value  and 
huge  tops,  as  for  instance  our  hemlock,  often  cannot  be  handled  in  this 
way  with  the  possibility  of  even  meagre  net  returns. 

The  burden  of  burning  slash  is  a  serious  burden,  and  one  which  the 
operator  can  ill  afford  to  stand  until  the  increase  of  the  value  of  the 
wood  product  obtained  by  him  Avill  offset  the  expense. 

I  am  an  advocate  of  the  destruction  of  slash  when  it  places  a  serious 
risk  upon  remaining  forests;  but  there  are  other  ways  to  gain  this  end 
while  reducing  the  risk  instead  of  increasing  it. 

Forest  fires  are  caused  by  carelessness;  occasionally,  but  rarely,  by 
intent.  The  awakening  of  and  the  building  u])  of  a  strong  sentiment 
against  wanton  destruction  is,  without  (juestion,  the  greatest  power 
toward  fire  prevention.  Every  man  can  see  and  can  hear;  therefore 
there  is  a  way  to  get  his  attention  and  his  interest. 

Advertising — Ptiblicitj^  of  our  cause — personal  ex])loitation  and  edu- 
cation will  yield  the  greatest  returns.  At  the  same  time  sufficient  patrol 
should  be  given  to  discover  and  quench  any  fires  which  might  possibly 
occur. 

The  clearing  of  lands  by  settlers  is  the  source  of  many — in  fact  tlio 
greatest  percentage  of — forest  fires.  Settlers,  however,  are  reasonable 
and  when  properly  approached  seldom  repeat  dangerous  practices. 

Railroads  cause  many  fires,  but  there  is  no  excuse  whatever  for  damage 


43 

from  this  source,  since  there  is  invariably  a  section  crew  within  easy 
reach  which  could  and  would  render  service  if  properly  instructed.  The 
railroads  obtain  their  financial  life  from  the  patronage  of  the  public  and 
it  is  not  unreasonable  to  demand  that  safety  to  public  interest  be  re- 
turned for  this  i^atronage. 

Sportsmen  and  hunters  careless  with  matches  and  camp  fires,  often 
damage  the  forest,  but  explanation  and  suggestion  rather  than  con- 
demnation Avill  enlist  their  cooperation. 

Purpose  burning  must  be  discouraged  by  process  of  law  and  the 
offender  made  to  suffer,  but  purpose  burning  is  so  rare  in  our  Upper 
Peninsula  that  few  need  fear  apprehension. 

The  organization  with  which  I  am  connected,  the  Northern  Forest 
Protective  Association,  is  accomplishing  its  aims  through  the  two  agents 
above  named^ — publicity  and  patrol,  and  is  basing  its  work  upon  the 
belief  that  our  people  desire  the  maintainance  of  our  wonderful  forests 
and  forest  resources,  and  that  the  damage  heretofore  done  has  been 
occasioned  by  thoughtlessness  rather  than  design. 

We  have  confidence  in  the  intelligence  of  every  man  who  loves  the 
woods,  and  he  who  is  a  patron  of  the  woods  loves  them  or  he  would  not 
be  there.  With  this  confidence  in  his  intelligence  we  shall  continue  to 
place  our  arguments  before  him,  believing  that  in  the  end  complete  un- 
derstanding and  complete  harmony  of  purpose  will  prevail. 


FOREST   FIRE    PROTECTION,    FROM    THE    RAILROAD    STAND- 
POINT. 

C.    W.    LUCE_,    ExVST   TAWAS^    SUPT.    D.    &    M.    R.    R. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

A  factor  vital  in  the  discussion  and  solution  of  reforestation  problems 
is  the  elimination  of  all  elements  conducive  to  the  starting  of  the  forest 
fire  and  the  application  of  every  means  possible  tending  its  prevention. 

The  annual  decrease  in  the  quantity  of  Michigan's  standing  timber  is 
apparent,  and  the  outlook  unless  immediate  action,  individual  and  con- 
certed, is  taken  is  discouraging.  One  of  the  chief  causes  of  this  de- 
crease is  the  forest  fire,  and  its  prevalence  and  devastation  during 
recent  years  illustrates  its  possibilities. 

The  railroad  is  one  agency  able  to  perform  certain  work  tending  to 
a  putting  out  of  fire  already  started  before  it  has  got  beyond  control 
and  to  an  elimination  of  its  causes.  The  actual  institution  of  certain 
measures  of  late  shows  the  railroad's  willingness  to  do  what  it  can  in 
this  regard. 

In  its  inception  the  Detroit  &  Mackinac  Railway  was  constructed 
along  the  Huron  shores  to  take  its  part  in  caring  for  the  forest  products 
of  north  eastern  Michigan.  It  has  witnessed  a  gradual  diminishing  of 
the  timber  that  was  once  so  abundant. 

In  this  discourse  it  is  the  writers  purpose  to  confine  himself  to  what 
this  road  has  done,  first  to  prevent  the  starting  of  fire  and  second  to 


44 

overcome  fire  oiu-e  started.  Over  iiio.st  of  its  line,  its  track  lies  upon  a 
right  of  way  one  hundred  feet  in  width.  This  right  of  way  is  cleared 
of  all  brush  and  substantial  undergroAvth  and  presents  nothing  possible 
of  ignition  and  fire-carrying  (jualities  other  than  grass  and  ground 
growth. 

Realizing,  however,  that  fire  once  started  in  any  ground  growth  suffi- 
ciently dry  may  run  and  set  fire  to  adjoining  or  nearby  timber,  the  road 
some  years  ago  adopted  and  put  into  execution  a  plan  whereby  such  fire 
might  be  checked.  It  plowed  two  or  three  furrows,  where  possible,  along 
and  next  to  the  fence  on  either  side  of  the  right  of  Avay.  In  nearly 
every  instance  this  plan  has  been  found  effective  and  fire  starting  from 
locomotives  or  other  causes  has  died  Avithin  the  right  of  way. 

Another  means  of  ])revention  results  from  work  required  of  the  sec- 
tion men.  In  the  spring  of  each  year  these  men  burn  over  the  right 
of  way  within  their  sections,  and  all  combustible  matter  is  destroyed. 
During  such  burning  a  continual  watch  is  maintained  in  order  that  it 
may  not  s])read  to  adjoining  ])ro])erty.  In  no  instance  have  these  fires 
escaped  without  the  limits  of  the  railroad  property. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  remarked  that  positive  instructions  issue 
to  the  section  men  that  during  continued  dry  weather  no  fires  shall  be 
set  upon  the  right  of  way  and  that  old  ties  and  other  rubbish  shall  not 
be  burned. 

Another  method  whereby  fires  are  prevented  lies  in  a  special  fire  fight- 
ing a])i)aratus  with  which  some  locomotives  are  equipped.  This  con- 
sists of  a  hose  attached  to  the  injector  on  the  engine.  Instructions  to 
conductors  and  engineers  are  enforced  to  the  effect  that  the  operatives 
of  trains  so  equijjped  shall  stop  and  extinguish  all  fires  on  the  right  of 
way,  and  all  fire  off'  the  right  of  way  within  reach  of  the  hose.  It  is 
nmde  the  duty  of  the  engineers  and  conductors  of  trains  not  so  equii)ped, 
where  it  is  not  possible  for  them  to  put  out  the  fire,  to  communicate 
with  the  office  of  the  General  Superintendent  at  the  first  telegraph  sta- 
tion, and  to  notify  such  office  of  any  fire  on  or  near  the  right  of  way. 
The  operatives  of  engines  not  so  equipped,  must  also  notify  the  con- 
ductor and  engineer  in  charge  of  the  first  train  they  meet  or  pass  which 
does  cari-y  the  fire  fighting  a])i)aratus,  and  the  latter  must,  as  soon  as 
possible  thereafter,  ask  for  orders  to  go  to  the  fire.  Further  it  is  re- 
quired that  the  engineer  and  conductor,  of  a  train  first  discovering  fire, 
notify  the  first  section  foreman  they  meet,  without  regard  as  to  upon 
whose  section  the  fire  may  be,  to  go  to  the  fire.  They  shall  also  notify 
oilier  section  crews  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fire  to  the  same  effect,  provid- 
ing in  their  judgment  the  conditions  warrant  it. 

When  the  men  in  charge  of  trains  so  stoi)i)ing  to  fight  fires,  are  unable 
to  put  them  out,  the  superiors  shall  inunediately  rejjort  such  fact  to  the 
office  of  the  General  Superintendent.  Dependent  upon  the  conditions, 
large  crews  of  emj)loyes  may  be  then  sent  out  and  assembled  at  the 
place  of  the  fire,  and  efforts  made  to  check  and  kill  the  burning. 

In  numerous  instances  fires  as  above  suggested,  not  only  ui)on  the  rail- 
road company's  property,  but  also  u])on  adjoining  land  have  been  ex- 
tinguished by  the  train  men  and  men  employed  on  the  section  which, 
had  they  been  allowed  io  run,  would  have  resulted  in  inestimable 
damage. 

Admittedly  fires  do  originate  at  times  directly  from  a  locomotive,  but 


45 

it  has  been  the  writer's  experience  that  fires  of  more  frequent  occurrence 
and  of  greater  magnitude  find  their  origin  in  the  clearing  of  hmd,  in 
the  actions  of  campers  and  tramps,  and  in  other  causes. 

To  illustrate,  on  the  14th  day  of  October,  1008,  the  day  preceding  the 
great  fire  that  swept  over  and  devastated  large  portions  of  the  counties 
in  Northeastern  Michigan,  the  writer  was  riding  over  one  of  the  branch 
lines  and  noticed  a  fire  a  half  mile  distant  from  the  track  kindled  by  a 
farmer  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  land.  He  remarked  to  the  fireman 
of  the  engine  in  which  he  was  riding  that  if  the  farmer  who  had  set 
the  fire  did  not  take  some  action  to  prevent  its  running,  night  wou*ld 
see  much  of  the  surrounding  country  burned  over.  Later  in  the  day  he 
saw  the  truth  of  this  remark  evidenced — the  same  fire,  now  beyond  con- 
trol, had  spread  over  several  hundred  acres  of  second  growth  timber,  and 
had  entirely  wiped  it  out. 

Upon  the  questions  involving  fires  originating  in  the  vicinity  of  a  rail- 
road, that  agency  must  needs  say  a  word  generally  in  the  defensive. 
Eailroads  are  commonly  adjudged  the  primary  cause  of  many  fires  for 
which  they  are  in  no  wise  responsible — sufficient  merely  that  a  locomo- 
-^ive  has  passed  thru  the  locality  where  fire  is  burning.  Were  the  same 
or  similar  precautions  that  are  adopted  and  put  into  effect  by  Kailroad 
Companies,  and  were  similar  action  in  connection  with  a  fire  once 
started,  taken  by  others,  there  ^^■ould  be  less  destruction  of  property  by 
fire  than  has  been  the  case  in  the  past,  and  the  years  to  come  would 
witness  a  far  smaller  annual  loss. 

Coal  is  the  fuel  used  almost  universally  in  the  operation  of  locomo- 
tives, and  so  long  as  its  use  is  necessitated  it  cannot  be  assured  that 
they  will  be  run  without  occasionally  setting  fire.  Without  detailing 
the  mechanism,  suffice  to  say  that  an  engine  must  have  a  draught  in 
order  to  obtain  the  energy  required  to  propel  it.  The  fires  that  are  set 
are  directly  resultant  upon  those  parts  of  the  engine  which  make  that 
draught  possible. 

The  writer  has  been  questioned  as  to  whether  or  not  a  locomotive, 
properly  equipped  with  modern  a])pliances,  could  throw  out  a  spark  or 
cinder  from  its  stack  of  a  size  sufficient  to  set  a  fire.  He  has  answered 
that  if  all  of  the  conditions  were  just  right,  it  might. 

Large  sums  of  money  are  annually  expended  by  the  Michigan  rail- 
roads in  an  endeavor  to  prevent  fires  and  to  minimize  the  damage  that 
has  heretofore  resulted.  Locomotives  are  equipped  with  the  most 
modern  and  most  approved  appliances  known  to  the  engineering  world 
to  eliminate  the  fire  setting  causes. 

All  engines  now  carry  a  spark  arrester  thru  which  all  smoke  and 
sparks  and  cinders  must  pass  before  reaching  the  outer  air.  Frequent 
periodical  inspections  of  these  spark  arresters  are  had  and  every  effort 
is  made  to  keep  them  in  good  condition  and  to  repair  or  renew  them 
when  necessary.  Inspections  are  made  also  at  other  times,  as  when  it 
comes  to  the  knowledge  of  the  road  that  fires  are  burning  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  track.  At  such  times  all  engines  passing  the  point  of  the  fire 
within  several  hours  prior  to  its  discovery  are  thoroughly  examined  be- 
fore proceeding  on  another  trip.  If  any  defects  are  found,  they  are 
remedied  immediately. 

It  is  manifest  that  the  Railroads  of  this  State  are  exerting  every  pos- 
sible effort  tending  to  a  prevention  of  fires  which  may  start  from  loco- 


46 

motives,  and,  as  before  stated,  if  similar  efforts  were  made  and  similar 
precautions  were  taken  by  individuals  and  corporations  other  than  rail- 
roads, fires  would  be  fewer  and  the  consequent  damage  would  be  greatly 
minimized. 

Outside  of,  but  touching  the  subject  allotted  him,  the  writer  would 
wish  to  take  opportunity  of  giving  brief  expression  to  certain  thoughts 
on  the  question  of  reforestation. 

Unless  further  and  more  drastic  measures,  necessary  to  the  success 
of  Avhat  has  already  been  accomplished,  are  taken  in  the  prevention  of 
forest  fires,  the  money  expended  in  such  work  will  have  been  practically 
thrown  away. 

Michigan  has  a  State  Game,  Fish  and  Fire  Warden,  empowered  to 
appoint  deputies.  The  number  he  may  appoint  is  nothing  when  com- 
pared with  the  number  that  should  be  engaged  in  the  work,  to  make  it 
of  any  practical  benefit  in  looking  after  fires  in  the  northern  Michigan. 
Even  one  man  to  a  county  could  not  perform  the  duties  that  should  be 
incumbent  upon  him  in  the  way  of  preventing  and  fighting  fires.  To 
l>reserve  the  present  existing  forests,  and  to  make  reforestation  projects 
feasible,  opposition  to  the  expenditures  of  large  sums  of  money  to  pre- 
vent fires  must  not  be  suggested. 

The  best  methods  to  be  employed  to  preserve  our  present  forests  and 
to  make  reforestation  worth  while  may  be  expensive  but  they  are  practi- 
cable and  assure  the  desired  result.  A  fire  break  of  not  less  than  four 
rods  in  width  should  be  cleared  around  every  section  or  fractional  part 
of  a  section  and  should  be  plowed  and  kept  clear  of  any  inflammable 
matter.  During  dry  Aveather  a  sufficiently  large  body  of  men  should  be 
employed  to  properly  patrol  these  sections. 

A  law  should  be  enacted  and  enforced  prohibiting  trespassing  on 
State  lands  for  any  purpose  whatever.  The  present  existing  laws  should 
be  amended  so  as  to  give  to  the  wardens  i)ower  to  press  all  men  in  the 
vicinity  into  service  to  assist  in  putting  out  fires,  a  refusal  to  act  on 
the  part  of  any  one  so  called  upon  to  be  a  criminal  oftense. 

In  conclusion,  the  Avriter  would  wish  to  strongly  urge  the  great  im- 
portance of  immediate,  concerted  action.  He  would  suggest  some  means 
of  organization  that  would  take  measures  to  prevent  the  setting  of  fires 
and  to  extinguish  fires  once  started.  He  would  have  all  persons  in  in- 
interest,  parties  to  such  an  organization.  He  would  see  the  question 
agitated,  and  would  recommend  the  employing  of  many  persons  for  that 
if  for  no  other  purpose.  Unless  some  action  is  taken  the  same  annual 
fires  and  consequent   loss  may  be  anticipated. 


By  request  Mr.  Charles  E.  Brewster,  Game  Law  Expert,  United 
States  Department  of  AgTiculture,  Washington,  D.  C,  was  in  attendance 
at  the  Conference  and  delivered  an  address  on 


,;     OF  THE 
V  ^COLLEGE  OF 


FEDERAL  AND  STATE  GAME  REFUGES. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

I  desire  to  confess  in  advance  that  I  am  miprepared  to  discuss  this 
important  feature  of  the  conservation  of  one  of  our  most  valuable 
natural  assets  in  a  manner  commensurate  with  its  real  importance.  I 
Avas  in  attendance  upon  the  Federal  court  at  Marquette  when  I  received 
a  wire  from  Washington  directing  me  to  arrange  to  attend  this  meeting, 
and  later  a  letter  from  your  secretarj',  Mr,  Carton,  requesting  me  to  ad- 
dress you  upon  the  subject  of  game  refuges;  and  so  with  little  prepara- 
tion I  am  here  and  will  discuss  briefly  some  of  the  features  that  present 
themselves  to  me  along  the  line  of  the  conservation  of  our  wild  life. 

It  is  only  within  comparatively  recent  years  that  the  people  of  this 
country  have  awakened  to  the  danger  incident  to  the  wasteful  methods 
pursued  in  the  destruction  of  our  game  and  fish,  among  the  most  valu- 
able of  our  natural  resources,  and  of  the  importance,  for  the  benefit  of 
both  present  and  future  generations,  of  their  conservation  by  the  enact- 
ment of  wise  laws  properly  and  judiciously  enforced.  The  result  has 
been  the  organization  of  departments  in  the  various  states  solelj'  for 
the  enforcement  of  the  game,  fish  and  forestry'  laws  in  their  respective 
states,  the  enactment  into  law  of  provisions  regulating  the  manner  and 
time  of  taking  fish  and  game  and  the  number  each  person  may  kill,  and 
regulations  relating  to  shipment,  possession  and  use.  The  export  of 
game  and  the  sale  of  our  rapidly  disappearing  upland  game,  and,  in 
many  instances,  all  game,  is  now  prohibited  in  nearly  every  State  in  the 
Union.  You  will  be  interested  to  know  that  man}'  of  these  features 
of  game  conservation  originated  in  Michigan. 

The  first  salaried  State  game  warden  in  any  State  was  our  present 
senior  United  States  Senator,  Hon.  Wm.  Alden  Smith,  and  the  first  resi- 
dent hunting-license  law  was  our  present  deer-hunting  license  law  en- 
acted in  1895. 

It  is  axiomatic  that  an}-  law  not  sustained  by  public  sentiment  is 
likely  to  become  a  dead  letter  upon  the  statute  books.  This  is  especially 
true  of  the  game  and  fish  laws  of  a  State.  Our  forefathers,  under  condi- 
tions entirely  unlike  those  of  the  present  day,  had  so  long  accustomed 
themselves  to  consider  game  and  fish  their  own  natural  heritage,  that 
any  attempt  to  regulate  their  hunting  or  fishing  was  resented  as  an  un- 
warranted abridgment  of  their  personal  rights ;  and  even  to  this  day  it 
is  easy  to  find  among  our  good  citizens  men  who  cannot  understand  how 
or  why  game  killed  l)y  them  is  not  their  personal  and  individual  prop- 
erty, subject  to  such  disposition  as  they  may  elect. 

The  importance  to  the  State  of  the  preservation  of  its  game,  fish  and 
forests  is  now  fully  recognized  by  all  thoughtful  and  public  spirited 
citizens,  and  in  our  own  great  State,  where  those  blessings  have  been  so 
bountifully  bestowed  by  nature,  no  better  illustration  of  the  awful 
wastefulness  of  our  people  in  its  dissipation  can  be  found.  Our  forests 
are  gone,  our  larger  game  animals  have  entirely  disappeared,  and  our 
game  birds  have  become  almost  exterminated.  We  have,  like  other 
states,  locked  the  stable  onlv  after  the  horse  was  gone.     Probablv  the 


48 

last  nesting  of  the  passenger  pigeon  occurred  in  this  State;  it  has  now 
entirely  (lisai»])eared  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Tlie  lordly  moose,  the 
spendid  elk.  and  that  magnificent  game  bird,  the  pinnated  gronse,  have 
been  entirely  destroyed  in  onr  State,  Avhile  the  beantifnl  bobwhite  cpiail 
and  onr  rntfed  gronse  have  become  so  few  in  nnmbers  as  to  make  their 
entire  disap]iearance  in  the  near  fntnre  extremely  probable.  And  onr 
present  law  relating  to  the  killing  of  deer,  if  continned  npon  the  statnte 
books,  Avill  insnre  the  speedy  disappearance  of  these  magnificent  game 
animals.  The  senseless  destrnction  of  onr  food  fishes  is  abont  in  line 
with  that  of  onr  game,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  miited  efforts  of  onr 
own  State  commission  and  that  of  the  Federal  Bnrean  of  Fisheries  in 
the  artificial  propagation  of  billions  of  fishes  to  be  i^lanted  in  the  waters 
of  onr  great  nnsalted  seas,  these  waters  wonld  be  as  devoid  of  fish  life  as 
is  the  Great  Salt  Lake  of  Utah. 

Michigan,  in  common  with  her  sister  states,  has  been  extremely  im- 
provident in  the  handling  of  her  game  and  fish.  Dnring  all  the  years 
previons  to  the  admission  of  this  territory  to  statehood  and  for  a  nnniber 
of  years  immediately  following,  little  Avas  done  in  the  Avay  of  the  enact- 
ment of  game  laws,  and  practically  nothing  was  done  previonsly  to  1887 
in  the  enforcement  of  the  few  laws  relating  to  either  game  or  fish.  The 
legislature  of  that  year  provided  for  a  warden  service  and  this  service 
has  been  steadil}-  increasing  in  efficiency  until  today  the  Michigan  De- 
partment of  Game,  Fish  and  Forestry,  under  the  supervision  and  con- 
trol of  Warden  Gates,  ranks  second  to  none  in  this  country, 

LEGISLATION. 

During  the  past  few  years  methods  of  killing  game  have  ra])idly  im- 
proved, and  entirely  different  measures  are  needed  to  regulate  the  killing 
from  those  that  were  deemed  necessary  during  the  earlier  days.  Seasons 
have  been  shortened  and  bag  limits  i)rovided;  the  use  of  dogs  in  the 
hunting  of  deer  and  of  traps  in  the  taking  of  game  birds  has  been  pro- 
hibited ;  certain  kinds  of  guns  and  other  devices  have  been  barred  in  the 
taking  of  waterfowl.  These  and  many  other  methods  have  been  adopted 
to  restrict  the  killing  of  our  game.  I  find,  U])on  examination  of  the 
statutes  of  our  own  State,  among  the  novel  methods  adopted  in  the  past 
along  this  line,  that  in  1897  a  section  was  written  into  tlie  general  game 
law^  foi'bidding  the  hunting  of  squirrels  with  ferrets;  and  at  the  last  ses- 
sion of  our  legislature  it  was  made  unlawful  to  hunt  rabbits  with 
"guinea-pigs." 

But,  taken  as  a  whole,  our  game  laws  are  in  a  fairly  satisfactory  con- 
dition, and  with  the  cutting  down  of  the  deer-hunting  season  to  twenty 
days  and  reducing  the  bag  limit  to  one  deer,  or  if  left  at  two  to  make 
it  unlawful  to  kill  any  excej)!  bucks  Avith  horns,  thus  i)rotecting  does 
and  fawns  all  the  year,  these  laAvs  Avould  need  little  additional  change 
for  a  number  of  years. 

Michigan  Avas  the  first  State  in  the  Union  to  ado])t  a  resident  hunting- 
license  hiAV.  It  applied,  hoAvever,  only  to  the  killing  of  deer.  Other 
states  Avere  quick  to  adopt  this  method  for  regulating  killing  as  well  as 
providing  a  source  of  revenue  for  the  su|>port  of  the  de]>artment  charged 
Avitli  the  enforcement  of  game  hiAVS,  and  in  every  case  they  made  it  cover 
all  protected  game;  but  Ave  have  made  no  change  other  than  to  tAvice 


49 

increase  the  cost  of  this  license  to  the  resident  deer  hunter.  That  this 
method  has  worked  entirely  satisfactorily  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that, 
while  35  states  have  enacted  into  a  law  a  resident  hunting-license  fea- 
ture, no  State  except  West  Virginia  has  abandoned  it,  and  its  repeal 
there  was  purely  a  political  matter. 

States  with  far  less  game  than  has  our  own  have  raised  sufficient 
funds  for  the  entire  support  of  the  game  and  fish  warden  department 
by  the  imposition  of  a  general  fl.OO  resident  hunting  license,  exacting 
from  $10  to  |50  from  nonresidents  for  a  like  privilege.  Illinois  last 
vear  paid  into  the  State  treasury  more  than  |200,000;  Wisconsin, 
1127,390;  Iowa,  |91,326 ;  Missouri,\f70,974 ;  Indiana,  .|5G,67G;  while  in 
the  state  of  New  Jersey  the  receipts  totaled  |()7,730.  It  is  entirely  safe 
to  say  that  more  than  |1,000,000  were  paid  last  year  in  the  United 
States  for  hunting-licenses  alone. 

The  Michigan  AVarden  I)e])artment  needs  additional  funds  for  carry- 
ing on  the  important  work  of  looking  after  the  game,  tish,  and  public 
forests  of  this  great  State.  It  is  especially  fitting  that  the  men  who  en- 
joy the  sports  afield  should  pay  for  the  protection  given  our  game  and 
game  fish,  and  there  are  so  many  things  to  be  urged  in  favor  of  a  resi- 
dent hunting-license  law  and  little  or  nothing  that  can  be  consistently 
said  in  opposition  to  it,  that  it  really  seems  incredible  that  Michigan  has 
permitted  itself  to  fall  back  into  the  rear  rank  of  game  conservationists 
along  this  line. 

During  the  past  five  years  I  have  visited  most  of  the  states  of  the 
Union  and  have  noted  carefull}'  the  systems  employed  and  methods 
adojited  and  carried  out  for  the  protection  of  game  and  fish  and  the  en- 
forcement of  the  laws  relating  thereto,  and  I  am  frank  to  say  that  in  no 
State  have  they  a  better  system,  in  no  State  have  they  a  better  State 
warden,  in  no  State  have  they  a  better  or  more  intelligent  class  of  offi- 
cers, and  in  no  State  do  they  accomplish  more  by  the  expenditure  of  the 
same  amount  of  money  than  in  this  very  State  of  Michigan.  But  with 
2,000  miles  of  coast  line,  thousands  of  lakes  and  streams  to  protect,  our 
vast  expanse  of  wild  country  in  which  to  look  after  the  wild  life  therein, 
our  rapidly  increasing  population,  and  the  added  yearly  interest  taken 
in  hunting  and  fishing  as  a  health-giving  recreation,  the  warden  depart- 
ment should  be  given  not  less  than  |100,000  a  year  for  its  support.  The 
enactment  of  a  general  resident  hunting-license  law  Avould  furnish  a  sum 
greatly  in  excess  of  this  amount. 

GAME    REFUGES. 

But  I  was  expected  to  talk  on  the  subject  of  game  refuges,  and  I  seem 
to  have  taken  a  shot  at  every  other  matter  connected  Avith  game  con- 
servation, and  I  am  reminded  of  the  earlier  days  when  game  preservation 
was  in  its  infancy  in  Michigan  and  when  the  attorneys  defending  a  per- 
son charged  with  a  violation  of  the  game  or  fish  laws  invariably  and 
carefully  refrained  from  discussing  the  merits  of  the  case  itself,  but 
devoted  their  entire  time  to  trying  the  game  warden  impugning  his 
motives  and  striving  in  a  general  Avay  to  discredit  him.  With  most  of 
the  jurors  drawn  to  try  these  cases,  and  in  many  instances  the  attor- 
neys themselves  known  to  be  persistent  violators  of  these  laws,  it  was 
a  sort  of  "hang  together  or  hang  separate''  proposition,  and  acquittals 
under  these  conditions  were  not  infrequent. 
7 


50 

With  the  rapid  (lisa])pearance  of  both  our  game  and  nongame  birds, 
it  has  been  found  advisable  to  provide  for  them  refuges, — tracts  where 
they  may  rest,  breed,  and  raise  their  young  and  be  secure  from  molesta- 
tion b}'  man.  The  General  Government  now  has  fifty-six  of  these  reser- 
vations where  by  Executive  proclamation  it  is  made  unlawful  to  hunt, 
pursue,  kill,  or  molest  in  any  manner  the  wild  animals  and  birds  found 
therein.  Several  of  the  States  have  taken  up  the  question  and  have 
themselves  established  State  game  refuges  for  the  protection  all  the 
year  of  the  wild  life  within  the  boundaries  established.  The  State  of 
Pennsylvania  has  been  quick  to  discover  the  advantages  to  be  gained 
by  pursuing  this  policy  and  in  1905  the  legislature  of  that  State  provided 
for  the  setting  apart  by  the  Game  Commission  of  certain  State  lands  for 
deer  and  upland  bird  preserves,  subject  to  such  regulations  as  might  be 
provided  by  said  commission.  Two  years  later  the  legislature  enacted 
into  law  another  bill  authorizing  the  Game  Commission,  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Commissioner  of  Forestr}^  to  set  apart  any  unused  lands 
of  the  State  as  game  reservations,  provided  a  jjerpetual  closed  season  for 
all  game  animals  or  birds  therein ;  such  lands  set  apart  not  to  exceed 
nine  miles  in  circumference  or  to  be  located  within  25  miles  of  each 
other;  to  be  surrounded  by  a  well-defined  fire-line,  or  cleared  strip  of 
land,  and  by  at  least  one  wire,  with  notices  posted  in  conspicuous  i^laces 
calling  attention  to  the  fact  of  the  land  within  the  wire  having  been 
set  apart  as  a  game  reservation  or  haven  of  refuge  into  which  wild 
birds  and  animals  could  retreat  and  be  safe  at  all  times,  and  made  it 
unlawful  to  molest,  drive,  or  kill  any  such  wild  animal  or  bird  within 
such  enclosures,  or  to  carry  any  firearms  or  take  any  dog  within  such 
game  refuges.  This  act  was  again  amended  in  1911,  removing  the  re- 
strictions as  to  the  distance  apart  these  refuges  should  be  located,  as 
well  as  the  size  of  same,  providing,  however,  that  in  no  instance  should 
the  refuge  established  contain  in  excess  of  one-half  of  the  tract  of  public 
land  upon  which  such  refuge  is  established.  The  purpose  of  this  pro- 
vision is  obviously  to  provide  for  absolute  security  within  the  sanctuary 
or  refuge  to  the  animals  within  its  boundaries,  that  they  may  breed  and 
raise  their  young  without  fear  of  molestation.  It  was  reasoned  that, 
as  they  multiplied,  they  would  gradually  spread  out  to  the  adjoining 
iauds  where,  in  the  hunting  season  and  restricted  only  by  the  general 
laws  regulating  the  time  and  manner  of  hunting,  they  might  be  law- 
fully pursued  and  killed  by  the  citizen-sportsmen  of  the  commonwealth; 
for,  as  you  know,  gentlemen,  the  hunting  or  killing  of  any  wild  animal 
or  bird  by  any  foreign-born,  unnaturalized  person  is  absolutely  forbidden 
by  the  laws  of  Pennsylvania.  In  fact,  it  is  made  unlawful  for  any  such 
alien  to  either  own  or  have  in  possession  at  an}'  time,  or  any  circum- 
stances, any  fowlingpiece  or  rifle  within  the  State.  And  notwithstanding 
a  bitter  contest  in  the  courts  of  the  State,  brought  by  a  subject  of  Italy 
and  actively  supported  by  the  Italian  representative  in  this  country, 
the  supreme  court  of  the  State  has  declared  the  act  constitutional. 
(See  Commonwealth  v.  Papsone,  Mar.  20,  1911.) 

The  results  obtained  have  far  exceeded  even  the  optimistic  hopes  of 
the  game  commissioners  themselves,  and  from  reports  received  from 
hunters,  as  well  as  from  the  official  reports  of  the  game  protectors,  one 
of  which  is  assigned  to  look  after  each  preserve,  more  deer  and  other 
game  were  actually  killed  on  the  lands  immediately  surrounding  these 


51 

game  refuges  last  season  than  had  been  killed  on  the  entire  tracts  pre- 
viously to  the  establishment  of  these  sanctuaries. 

So  I  believe,  gentlemen,  we  are  entirely  safe  in  assuming  that  the 
policy  of  establishing  these  game  refuges  on  State  lands  and  under  State 
control  has  passed  the  experimental  stage  and  that  its  wisdom  and  suc- 
cess for  the  purposes  intended  have  been  fully  proved. 

Michigan  has  millions  of  acres  of  State  lands,  and  in  many  of  the 
counties  much  of  this  land  is  unsuited  for  agricultural  purposes.  On 
these  lands  within  the  memory  of  most  of  you  gentlemen,  deer,  bear, 
squirrels,  wild  turkeys,  pinnated  and  ruffed  grouse,  quail,  and  in  their 
respective  seasons  the  migratory  game  birds  Avere  found  in  great  abund- 
ance. Many  of  these  have  entirely  disappeared  and  all  have  become 
greatly  reduced  in  numbers.  Would  it  not  be  wise  to  enact  laws  for  the 
setting  apart  of  at  least  a  portion  of  these  lands  as  breeding  and  resting 
places  for  the  remnant  of  this  valuable  asset  of  our  people?  Other 
states,  awakening  to  the  importance  and  value  of  the  game  to  a  State, 
have  established  these  sanctuaries  and  are  now  obtaining  by  purchase 
wherever  possible,  deer,  quail,  and  pheasants  to  replace  the  native  game 
senselessly  destroyed  in  the  earlier  days  of  statehood  when  their  im- 
portance was  unthought  of.  New  Jersey  has  within  the  past  two  years 
obtained  by  purchase  10,000  bobwhite  quails  for  liberation  within  her 
boundaries;  and  Pennsylvania  has  within  the  past  year  purchased  from 
the  Cleveland  Cliffs  Company,  of  Grand  Island,  Michigan,  several  car- 
loads of  white-tailed  or  Virginia  deer  for  liberation  in  their  game 
refuges,  and  is  now  arranging  for  more  of  them. 

Let's  wake  up,  go  before  the  legislature  early  in  the  coming  session 
and  secure  the  repeal  of  the  senseless  provision  in  our  present  laws  per- 
mitting the  shooting  of  waterfowl  and  shore-birds  in  the  spring,  and  the 
enactment  into  law  of  a  provision  for  a  general  resident  hunting-license 
and  the  establishment  of  State  game  refuges  on  the  wild  and  unoccupied 
lands  of  the  State  in  various  parts  of  the  State.  Do  this,  and  the  per- 
petuation of  at  least  the  remnant  of  our  game  will  be  assured.  Do  this, 
and  the  few  remaining  states  north  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon  line  will 
enact  similar  restrictions  on  the  killing  of  game  in  the  spring.  Do  this, 
and  we  shall  deserve  the  approbation  and  approval  of  every  true  lover 
of  our  wild  life  wherever  found.  Do  this,  and  Michigan  will  again  take 
her  place  proudly  at  the  head  of  the  line  of  practical  game  conservation- 
ists of  this  great  big  country  of  ours, — a  country  still  rich  in  all  that 
goes  to  make  a  country  great,  and  with  a  citizenship  second  to  none  on 
earth. 


52 


COMMUNITY  DEVELOPMENT. 

DOUGLAS  MALLOCH^  CHICAGO.  ASSOCIATE  EDITOR^  AMERICAN  LUMBERMAN. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  CJentlemen : 

This  conference  undoubtedly  has  for  its  chief  purpose  tlie  conservation 
of  the  resources  of  the  State,  with  special  reference  to  the  administra- 
tion of  the  public  domain.  It  is  not  the  desire  to  depart  radically  from 
that  line  of  thought.  The  term  ''conservation"  is  of  such  wide  applica- 
tion that  it  may  well  embrace,  not  only  the  conservation  of  the  State's 
physical  resources,  but  the  conservation  of  the  life,  happiness  and  pros- 
perity of  the  commonwealth  and,  specifically,  the  communities  Avhich 
make  it  up.  Public  thought  in  this  State,  therefore,  ma,y  well  concern 
itself  with  the  development  and  the  conservation  of  the  smaller  com- 
munity, its  conservation  in  the  face  of  the  present  tendency  toward  con- 
gestion of  population  in  the  larger  cities.  An  abstract  of  the  census  pub- 
lished a  few  days  ago  shows  that  the  growth  of  population  during  the 
last  decade  has  been  heavy,  which  is  well  for  the  nation.  However,  it 
shows  that  the  growth  of  population  has  been  three  times  gi'eater  in  the 
cities  than  it  has  been  in  the  country,  which  is  not  well  for  the  nation. 
In  this  great  rush  of  population  to  the  cities  may  be  found  some  of  the 
causes  for  some  of  the  ills  we  suffer.  To  a  large  extent  the  country  pro- 
duces our  necessities,  the  city  our  luxuries;  and  when  a  large  part  of 
the  population  is  devoted  to  the  production  or  the  enjoyment  of  the  one 
there  will  naturally  follow  a  decrease  in  the  production  and  an  increase 
in  the  cost  of  the  other. 

We  are  at  present  immersed  in  the  maelstrom  of  a  great  political  cam- 
paign. At  such  a  time  the  public  mind  is  inclined  to  attribute  all  our 
troubles  to  a  legislative  policy  or  a  political  condition,  to  Wall  Street 
or  to  Washington,  or  to  some  other  spot  supposed  to  be  the  center  of  our 
legislative  or  financial  universe.  When  the  cost  of  living  increases,  when 
money  ceases  to  circulate,  when  some  other  economic  condition  arises, 
we  are  likely  to  look  afar  for  some  vague  cause  for  events,  when  the 
trouble  may  be  close  at  home.  The  people  of  Michigan  who  have 
economic  problems  perhaps  need  not  look  far  for  a  reason. 

In  the  building  in  which  I  labor  there  is  a  doctor  on  the  third  floor 
and  a  barber  on  the  ninth  floor.  The  other  day  I  went  into  the  barber 
shop  and  found  the  doctor  getting  a  shave.  The  doctor  and  the  barber 
agreed  that  the  doctor  business  and  the  barber  business  Avere  bad.  but 
they  Avere  unable  to  agree  upon  a  cause.  The  barber  thought  that  the 
trusts  were  to  blame  for  it.  The  doctor  thought  antitrust  agitation  was 
to  blame.  And  so  they  argued  and  argued,  without  either  of  them 
getting  at  the  real  cause.  Now,  I  can  tell  you  wliat  Avas  the  matter  so 
far  as  the  doctor  business  and  the  barber  business  were  concerned — 
Christian  Science  and  safety  razors. 

If  Ave  desire  the  Avealth  of  Michigan  conserved,  its  resources  developed 
and  its  ])ros])erity  increased,  Ave  must  look  to  Michigan  for  the  remedy 
and  not  to  Washington  or  Princeton  or  Oyster  Bay.     There  is  a  new 


53 

school  of  medicine  which  cures  all  disease  by  massaging  and  manipula- 
ting the  vertebrae.  We  must  apply  that  treatment  to  Michigan,  seek  for 
the  backbone  of  Michigan's  wealth  and  wellbeing,  and  endeavor  to 
stiffen  it  by  a  little  agitation. 

Michigan  is  not  merely  a  State.  It  is  an  empire.  Michigan  is  the 
most  independent  of  states;  that  is,  it  is  independent  in  its  wealth.  It 
is  independent  because  of  the  variety  of  its  resources.  You  could  build 
a  fence  around  the  State  of  Michigan  tomorrow  and  the  people  of  Michi- 
gan could  go  on  living  for  a  cycle  of  centuries  without  outside  assist- 
ance. We  could  clothe  and  feed  and  house  ourselves  with  the  products 
of  our  fields  and  forests.  We  could  surround  ourselves  with  the  utensils 
of  living  and  adorn  ourselves  with  the  ornaments  of  luxury  from  our 
mines.  We  could  heat  our  houses  in  winter  with  subterranean  fuel.  We 
could  even  build  the  fence  with  our  own  lumber.  We  have  only,  there- 
fore, to  develop  and  conserve  our  resources  to  insure  the  entity  and  per- 
petuity of  the  State.  And,  even  in  the  matter  of  politics,  we  are  not 
dependent  upon  Washington,  Wall  Street  or  the  West,  since  our  home 
production  is  suflScient  for  all  our  practical  needs. 

If  you  can  be  induced,  therefore,  to  consider  Michigan  and  Michigan 
prosperity  as  a  Michigan  atfair,  jou  can  be  asked  to  search  the  anatomy 
of  Michigan  for  the  backbone  to  which  reference  has  been  made.  It  lies 
in  the  rural  district  and  the  small  community.  This  is  said  with  due  re- 
spect to  the  automobile  industry  of  Flint,  Lansing  and  Detroit.  I  do  not 
know  which  of  these  three  cities  leads  in  that  respect.  I  presume  that  it 
is  whichever  one  of  the  three  that  manufactures  the  repairs.  It  is  said 
also  with  due  respect  to  the  lumber  industrj'  of  Saginaw  Bay,  the  beet 
sugar  of  an}'  region,  the  mines  of  Houghton  or  the  summer  resorts  of 
Traverse  Bay. 

The  people  of  Michigan  should  be  shown  the  value  and  the  necessity 
of  spending  their  money  at  home,  in  the  conversion  of  wild  lands  into 
farms,  in  patronage  of  the  local  merchant,  in  the  building  of  homes  and 
the  abolition  of  landlords,  in  the  creation  of  means  of  quick  local  trans- 
portation, in  everything  that  makes  Michigan  a  better  place  in  which  to 
live. 

They  should  be  shown  that  money  invested  in  orange  groves  in  Alaska 
or  wheat  lands  in  Timbuctoo,  even  though  they  return  the  dividends  of 
the  glittering  prospectus,  will  do  little  to  increase  the  value  of  Michigan 
lands  of  present  ownership.  One  good  thing  about  investing  your  money 
here  at  home  is  the  fact  that  before  you  invest  you  can  investigate.  The 
only  thing  that  a  man  ought  to  buy  without  looking  into  it  first  is  a 
shotgun. 

In  any  such  measure  as  we  can,  those  here  present  should  endeavor 
to  demonstrate  to  the  people  of  Michigan  that  the  place  to  do  their  buy- 
ing is  within  the  State.  We  do  not  want  to  waste  our  time,  however, 
demonstrating  that  the  other  investment  may  be  bad,  but  rather  should 
we  lend  our  encouragement  to  the  men  and  women  who  are  attempting 
to  show  that  in  climate,  soil  and  nearness  to  market  Michigan  lands  have 
no  superior;  and  we  should  urge,  as  we  shall  be  able  to  prove,  that  there 
is  no  commodity  we  desire  to  buy  that  we  can  not  buy  better  here  at 
home  in  Michigan  than  anywhere  else. 

The  preaching  that  counts  is  affirmative  preaching.  The  people  will 
learn  to  invest  their  money  in  Michigan  as  life  in  Michigan  is  made 


54 

larger  and  better.  We  should  ourselves  preacb,  and  encourage  the  press 
of  the  State  to  advocate,  the  settlement  of  Michigan  lands,  the  building 
up  of  Michigan  communities.  The  money  we  spend  will  build  something 
somewhere;  where,  will  depend  upon  Avhether  we  spend  the  monej'  in 
some  other  State  or  here.  Let  us  enlist  in  and  encourage  the  local  board 
of  trade,  chamber  of  commerce  and  development  bureau.  Let  us  see  that 
legislation  in  Michigan  is  friendly  to  the  building  and  loan  association, 
as  I  presume  it  is,  and  surrounds  it  with  safeguards  that  will  make  it 
appeal  to  the  people.  Let  the  State  be  not  parsimonious  as  a  State,  or 
the  public  as  a  taxpayer,  in  the  building  of  good  roads^in  order  that 
communication  among  the  people  may  be  easy.  Let  us  give  the  greatest 
possible  support  to  the  local  newspaper,  since  its  general  circulation  in- 
spires home  pride  and  induces  home  building  and  home  buying.  Weeds 
are  not  ordinarily  considered  admirable.  Yet  there  is  one  weed  we  may 
admire.  Strange  to  say,  it  is  the  thistle.  We  should  admire  the  thistle 
because  it  is  always  blowing  about  the  neighborhood  it  lives  in. 

As  has  been  said,  the  trend  of  population  now  is  toward  the  larger 
cities.  The  country's  assurance  of  business  stability  and  public  and 
private  morality  is  in  the  smaller  ones.  The  hope  of  the  country  is  in 
the  country  at  large.  The  time  is  passing  when  if  Mr.  Morgan  has  a 
cold  the  spine  of  the  whole  country  must  shiver.  The  smaller  centers  are 
becoming  the  real  power.  The  great  centers  are  gaining  in  population 
and  losing  in  influence.  It  is  up  to  us  to  see  that  we  gain  in  both ;  and 
we  shall  best  contribute  to  the  general  good  of  the  whole  people  by 
looking  after  the  particular  unit  we  call  home. 

When  Spring  has  come 

The  thing  has  come 
That's  sure  to  come  to  me — 

The  call  of  Spring 

That's  all  of  Spring, 
Spring  fever,  don't  you  see? 

In  weary  toil. 

In  drear}'  toil. 
It  whispers  now  and  then : 

"Awake,  away — 

Come  break  away 
To  Michigan  again. 

The  care  of  life, 

The  wear  of  life. 
Lie  heavy  on  the  heart, 

But  yonder  now 

They  wander  now 
A  Fairyland  apart. 

For  over  there 

The  clover  there 
Will  deck  the  ways  of  men. 

And  then  T  long, 

Again  I  long, 
For  Michigan  again. 


55 

The  cherry  tree, 

The  fairy  tree, 
Will  soon  be  all  ablush. 

The  winging  bird, 

The  singing  bird, 
Will  warble  in  the  hush. 

The  flashing  trout, 

The  splashing  trout, 
Is  waiting  in  the  fen — 

I  wish  again 

To  fish  again 
In  Michigan  again ! 

It  is  hoped  these  things  that  have  been  said  will  not  seem  too  much 
of  a  departure  from  the  purpose  of  this  meeting,  which  is  meant  to  em- 
brace any  thought  intended  for  the  good  of  the  State.  I  would  have  been 
glad  to  have  discussed  conservation  of  our  forests  and  their  protection 
against  fire,  a  subject  in  which  many  of  us  are  specifically  interested. 
It  is  a  particularh^  fitting  topic  for  a  meeting  such  as  this,  under  the 
patronage  of  the  governor  of  the  State  and  the  auspices  of  its  Public 
Domain  Commission,  for  conservation  remains  a  duty  for  the  State, 
since  the  State  has  done  little  to  make  it  practically  possible  for  the 
individual.  Anything  that  has  been  said  has  been  said  through  a  loyal 
interest  in  Michigan. 


THE  FUTURE  OF  LAND  INVESTMENTS  IN  NORTHERN  MICHI- 
GAN. 

HON.     0.    F.    BARNES,    ROSCOMMON,    NORTHEASTERN     MICHIGAN    DEVELOPMENT 

BUREAU. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

When  the  region  we  know  as  the  United  States  was  first  settled  by 
white  men  it  was  a  virgin  land.  It  had  never  been  held  in  individual 
ownership,  and,  except  in  rare  instances,  had  never  been  cultivated.  The 
colonists,  believing  that  the  supply  of  land  was  inexhaustible  and  that 
thej'  need  not  be  hampered  in  their  methods  by  any  jjractices  of  soil 
conservation,  proceeded  to  appropriate  it  and  to  till  it  unrestrained  by 
laws  except  such  as  they  themselves  might  pass.  After  the  Revolution 
and  the  adustment  of  the  territorial  claims  of  several  states,  the  land 
outside  the  original  thirteen  colonies  became  public  domain.  When 
Louisiana,  Florida,  and  parts  of  Mexico  were  added  the  extent  of  this 
public  domain  was  tremendously  increased. 

Acts  to  encourage  the  sale  and  settlement  of  the  public  domain  were 
among  the  first  passed  by  Congress  and  were  continually  added  to  when- 
ever any  congressional  genius  could  invent  a  new  and  plausible  scheme 
for  alienating  the  title  from  the  government.  Millions  of  acres  Avere 
turned  over  to  the  states  as  school  and  swamp  land,  vast  tracts  were 


56 

donated  to  railroads  and  other  corporations.  Farms  and  tracts  of  land 
were  given  i)racticall.v  free  to  anyone  willing  to  comply  with  the  very 
mild  reiiuirements  of  the  homestead  law,  the  soldier's  claim  law,  the  tree 
culture  law,  the  desert  land  act,  the  timber  and  stone  act,  and  numerous 
other  jniblic  land  acts,  Statesmen  and  students  as  well  as  the  people  con- 
sidered the  supply  of  land  to  be  inexhaustible  and  that  farms  could  be 
had  from  the  public  domain  for  centuries  to  come.  At  the  same  time  a 
flood  of  immigration,  composed  largely  of  the  agricultural  classes  at- 
tracted by  free  land,  was  flowing  into  the  country,  the  settlement  of  the 
newer  communities  was  rapid,  agriculture  flourished  above  all  other 
industries,  and  our  exports  were  mostly  products  of  the  soil. 

Until  within  the  memory  of  most  of  us  a  large  part  of  the  United 
i^tates  was  still  public  domain.  Gradually  conditions  changed;  the 
public  domain  of  the  middle  west  was  all  taken  up ;  the  territory  farther 
west  was  found  to  be  composed  largely  of  arid  land  suitable  for  culti- 
vation only  when  irrigated;  the  flood  of  home  seekers,  checked  by  this 
discovery,  turned  to  the  cities  for  employment ;  manufacturing,  favored 
by  legislation,  increased  and  attracted  labor  from  the  farm;  immigra- 
tion changed  its  character  and,  instead  of  farmers  from  Germany, 
Scandinavia,  and  Britan,  consisted  largely  of  laborers  from  the  Medi- 
terranean countries  and  Hebrews  from  the  cities  of  eastern  Europe; 
prices  of  agricultural  products  advanced  and  exports  of  these  products 
diminished.  Suddenly,  as  it  were,  the  country  has  Avaked  up  to  find  that 
our  industrial  development  has  ])rogressed  at  a  faster  rate  than  our 
agricultural  develoj)ment,  that  the  consumption  of  food  products  has 
l)ractically  caught  up  with  the  production  of  food  products  and  must 
.soon  exceed  it,  that  the  high  prices  for  these  products  have  come  to  stay, 
and  that  the  cry  "liack  to  the  farm"  must  be  obeyed  by  hundreds  of 
thousands  or  we  will  soon  be  buying  food  })roducts  abroad.  James  J. 
Hill,  the  builder  of  the  Great  Northern  railroad  system,  in  public  ad- 
dresses delivered  in  1909,  numy  times  declared,  and  students  of  statis- 
tics everywhere,  agreed  with  him,  that  if  the  present  rate  of  increase  in 
both  poi)ulation  and  agricultural  production  continued,  we  would  be  im- 
porting food  products  in  eight  years  and  by  the  middle  of  the  century 
we  would  have  to  have  three  hundred  million  additional  acres  under  cul- 
tivation to  feed  and  clothe  and  otherwise  care  for  our  population  at 
that  future  time.  Three  hundred  million  acres  would  be  nine  states  the 
size  of  Michigan. 

Where  is  the  land  to  which  the  immigrant,  the  farm  laborer,  the  tenant 
farmer,  and  the  farmer's  son  can  go  and  ac(piire  a  home  and  provide 
food  for  the  nation?  Is  it  upon  the  abandoned  farms  of  the  east?  Their 
fertility,  never  great,  was  exhausted  long  years  ago  by  continued  culti- 
vation and  improper  farming,  and  it  would  require  years  of  time  and 
millions  of  cai)ital  to  again  make  them  productive.  They  will  make 
suunuer  homes  for  the  Avealthy  and  game  pi'eserves  for  the  S])ortsman 
but  not  food  i)roducers  for  the  nation.  Is  it  the  great  central  states 
such  as  Ohio,  Indiana,  Iowa,  and  Illinois?  Their  imi)roved  land  is 
worth  |1.50.t)0  to  f20().()()  per  acre  and  unimproved  land  but  little  less, 
and  both  classes  of  land  are  passing  into  the  ownership  of  men  who  hold 
them  as  investments  and  two-fifths  of  the  farms  are  worked  by  tenant 
farmers.  There  is  little  oi)i)ortunity  in  those  states  for  the  man  of 
modest  means.     Is  it  the  far  west?     Once  the  land  of  opportunity,  the 


57 

far  west  has  ceased  to  be  so  for  the  average  home  seeker.  More  than 
nine-tenths  of  its  public  domain  is  arid  and  suitable  only  for  grazing, 
and  practically  all  that  is  capable  of  being  cultivated  without  irrigation 
has  been  taken  up.  As  for  irrigated  lands,  they  are  high  in  price  and 
best  devoted  to  specialized  forms  of  agriculture  with  which  the  general 
farmer  is  unacquainted.  If  all  the  lands  capable  of  being  irrigated  were 
now  under  cultivation  they  would  provide  for  but  two  years  increase  in 
our  population.  In  the  west  also  the  great  blocks  of  non-government 
lands  such  as  the  Indian  reservations,  the  old  Spanish  grants,  the  great 
grain  farms  of  the  Dakotas,  and  California,  have  gone  the  way  of  the 
public  domain.  The  home  seekers  forced  the  government  and  the  govern- 
ment forced  the  Indians,  and  hunting  grounds  became  farms.  As  for  the 
privately  owned  blocks  of  land,  their  agriculture  was  highly  specialized 
and  such  agriculture  is  rarely  long  lived.  The  continued  production  of 
one  kind  of  crop,  the  continued  cultivation  of  the  soil  in  one  way,  in- 
evitably impoverished  the  soil.  Yields  fell  until  they  became  almost  un- 
profitable. Then  the  home  seeker,  practicing  general  farming  and  crop 
rotation,  keeping  live  stock,  and  personally  working  his  land,  stepped 
in  and  was  able  to  make  the  property  so  much  more  productive  that  he 
forced  its  subdivision  and  sale. 

There  is  a  deficit  in  food  production  impending.  There  is  a  great 
movement  "Back  to  the  farm."  There  is  a  veritable  land  hunger  all  over 
the  country.  There  is  also  dearth  of  land  suitable  for  general  farming 
and  available  to  the  average  home  seeker  with  which  to  satisfy  it ;  and 
thousands  of  home  seekers  whose  lives  have  been  passed  in  the  middle 
west  and  whose  education  has  been  in  general  farming  have  turned  to  the 
fruit  orchards  of  the  west  and  celery  and  onion  beds  and  truck  farms  of 
the  south.  Tens  of  thousands  of  others  have  annually  gone  to  western 
Canada,  giving  u\)  their  American  citizenship  in  order  to  acquire  homes. 

In  the  northern  })art  of  lower  Michigan  there  are  fuUy  five  million 
acres  of  vacant,  productive  land.  This  land  is  practically  a  part  of  the 
great  central  agricultural  section  and  at  the  very  threshold  of  the  dis- 
trict where  the  pressure  on  the  land  is  greatest;  in  the  very  health  re- 
sort and  sporting  ground  of  thirty  millions  of  people;  where  trans- 
portation systems  are  already  in  existence;  in  close  proximity  to  the 
markets  of  tens  of  millions;  with  a  present  population  of  progressive, 
native  born  citizens;  whose  laws,  customs,  and  social  life  is  that  of  the 
great  central  states;  where  the  home  seeker  will  not  have  to  change  his 
agricultural  education  to  conform  to  that  of  some  distant  community ; 
and  where  fertile  land  can  be  bought  at  prices  within  the  reach  of 
everyone.  Why  has  that  section  not  been  settled?  Why  are  lands  to  be 
had  there  at  a  less  price  than  in  any  other  productive  section  of  our 
nation  ? 

For  many  years  Michigan  was  practically  locked  against  the  home 
seeker.  Her  vacant  lands  were  largely  in  the  lumber  section  of  the  State 
where  the  lumber  interests  dominated  all  others.  There  land  was 
priced  and  sold  for  its  timber  value  alone,  regardless  of  its  agricultural 
possibilities.  Only  in  the  lumber  camp  or  saw  mill  could  the  laborer 
find  employment.  The  farmers  had  valuable  timber  on  their  land  which 
made  lumbering  more  profitable  for  them  than  farming.  Woodsmen 
and  mill-men  located  home-steads  for  their  timber  regardless  of  their 
farming   value.     The    lumberman   discouraged   the    settlement    of    the 


58 

country  because  it  would  endanger  his  property,  the  standing  timber,  to 
fire,  and  would  increase  his  taxes  foT  building  highways  and  establishing 
and  maintaining  schools.  He,  therefore,  withheld  his  lands  from  settle- 
ment and  encouraged  the  idea  that  all  lands  in  the  lumber  districts  were 
unsuited  for  agriculture.  The  results  obtained  by  many  homesteaders 
of  the  class  I  have  mentioned  tended  to  confirm  the  reports  of  the  lum- 
berman, for  when  those  farmers  needed  money  they  generally  preferred 
to  obtain  it  by  working  in  the  camp  rather  than  by  working  the  soil, 
and  would  leave  the  plough  or  cultivator  at  any  time  for  a  job  in  the 
woods.  When  the  lumber  camp  moved  away  these  men  often  followed 
leaving  an  abandoned  homestead.  At  the  same  time  there  were  still 
public  lands  to  be  located  in  many  parts  of  the  country ;  and  so  for  years 
the  stream  of  homeseekers  passed  on  to  the  west  or  the  southwest  and 
were  not  only  uninvited  to  but  were  actually  repulsed  from  northern 
Michigan. 

In  recent  years,  however,  the  lumber  interests  have  declined  and  ceased 
to  dominate.  The  lumberman,  no  longer  concerned  about  his  timber,  has 
become  anxious  to  encourage  the  settlement  of  his  cut-over  lands.  The 
original  settlers,  deprived  of  the  lumber  industry  as  the  chief  source  of 
livelihood,  have  turned  to  their  farms,  generally  originally  located  for 
timber,  and  have  found,  to  their  surprise,  the  raising  of  live  stock,  clover 
seed,  potatoes,  and  vegetables,  more  profitable  than  lumbering  ever  was. 
The  hunger  for  farms  has  led  new  farmers  with  modern  methods  of 
farming  into  all  sections  and  their  wonderful  success  has  dispelled  any 
lingering  idea  that  the  soil  of  the  lumber  districts  is  generally  unsuited 
for  proper  agriculture.  Kepresentatives  of  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  appointed  to  make  a  soil  survey  of  this  part  of 
Michigan,  after  years  of  investigation,  have  found  out  and  published  the 
fact  that  the  soils  of  the  upper  part  of  the  Lower  Peninsula  are  for  the 
most  part  similar  in  their  character  and  formation  to  those  of  some  of 
the  most  advanced  farming  counties  of  southern  Michigan  and  capable 
of  as  equally  high  development.  The  people  of  the  north,  no  longer  re- 
strained by  the  needs  of  the  lumber  industry,  and  having  personal  knowl- 
edge and  experience  of  actual  soil  conditions  in  their  midst,  and  recog- 
nizing the  great  advantage  of  organization  and  cooperation,  have  estab- 
lished bureaus  supported  mainly  by  the  counties  and  devoted  to  setting 
forth  actual  conditions  today.  These  bureaus,  though  but  a  short  time 
in  existence,  by  the  displays  they  have  made,  by  the  claims  they  have 
proved,  by  the  information  they  have  circulated,  by  the  local  spirit  they 
have  created,  have  surprised  the  people  of  our  State,  have  challenged 
the  representatives  of  other  communities  and  have  called  the  attention 
of  the  entire  country  to  the  opportunities  offered  the  home  seeker.  Sud- 
denly, as  it  were,  the  local  authorities,  the  State,  and  the  Nation  have 
all  discovered  the  wonderful  agricultural  possibilities  of  the  former  lum- 
ber country  and  are  urging  its  complete  settlement.  A  representative  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  whose  work  is  with  the  farmer  and  con- 
cerning the  farmer,  after  more  than  two  years  investigation  all  over  the 
territory  to  which  I  have  referred,  publicly  made  the  statement  that 
there  was  a  place  for,  and  that  there  ought  to  be,  100,01)0  additional  fami- 
lies between  Bay  City  and  Mackinac;  and  that,  if  these  vacant  lands 
were  out  in  the  wilderness  instead  of  right  at  home,  there  would  be  a 


59 

grand  rush  for  them  and  their  settlement  would  be  immediate  and  com- 
plete. 

The  prophesied  rush  has  begun.  Hundreds  of  settlers  have  come  the 
past  two  years,  hundreds  more  have  bought  land  for  investment  or 
future  settlement.  Everywhere  are  new  farms,  new  clearings,  new 
buildings,  new  orchards,  new  highways,  churches,  and  schools.  The 
country  has  passed  from  a  lumbering  to  a  farming  community.  A  high 
afficial  of  one  of  the  transportation  systems  that  traverses  the  entire 
length  of  the  upper  part  of  lower  Michigan,  a  man  in  touch  with  this 
movement  because  of  his  position,  declared  in  my  hearing  a  feAv  months 
ago  that  it  matters  little  what  more  the  development  bureaus  might  do, 
the  people  have  discovered  this  country  and  you  could  not  keep  them 
back  even  if  you  guarded  the  entire  south  boundary  line  of  our  State 
for  that  particular  purpose. 

A  lingering  impression,  born  of  former  misrepresentation  and  of  ab- 
solute ignorance  of  present  conditions,  still  exists  in  some  minds,  that 
agricultural  possibilities  in  north  Michigan  are  confined  to  hardwood 
soils  and  are  not  shared  with  the  cut  over  pine  lands  and  plains  lands. 
If  that  were  true,  there  would  be  but  little  to  say  for  the  future  of  land 
investments  in  that  country.  Against  that  impression  I  urge  the  United 
States  soil  survey  to  which  I  have  before  alluded  and  which  survey  shows 
a  wonderful  similarity  between  the  soils  of  much  of  the  cut  over  pine 
country  and  those  of  some  of  the  counties  of  southern  Michigan  I  would 
call  particular  attention  to  the  comments  accompanymg  some  of  those 
surveys  in  which  the  writers  declare  whole  counties  suitable  for  agricul- 
ture except  the  pine  ridges.  These  writers  express  their  surprise  at  the 
small  difference  between  the  hardwood  soils  and  the  soils  of  the  pine 
plains  as  they  call  them;  and  they  seek  other  causes  than  difference  in 
soils  for  the  presence  of  hardwood  in  one  case  and  pine  in  the  other. 
I  would  also  urge  the  government  bulletin  entitled  ^'Clover  Seed  Pro- 
duction on  the  Jack  Pine  Plains"  in  which  it  is  sho^m  that  the  average 
jields  of  clover  seed  on  the  plains  lauds  far  exceeds  those  of  Ohio  and 
Indiana  and  a  single  crop  often  brings  forty  dollars  and  fifty  dollars 
per  acre.  I  have  seen  the  clover  seed  crop  from  twenty  acres  bring  the 
owner  over  $1,000,00.  I  have  examined  and  assessed  that  particular 
field  for  six  years  and  know  the  land  is  Jack  Pine  plains  not  differing 
from  thousands  of  other  acres  in  the  township.  I  myself  have  been  dis- 
appointed when  mj"  crop  of  seed  from  fourteen  acres  brought  me  only 
IG63.00;  and  the  land  was  cut  over  pine  land. 

Actual  results  of  continuous  proper  farming  on  the  sandy  cut  over 
pine  and  pine  plains  land  will  be  more  convincing  than  any  theoretical 
argument  as  to  their  actual  value.  For  six  years  I  have  been  supervisor 
and  government  crop  correspondent  for  the  township  of  South  Branch 
in  Crawford  county  and  as  such  it  has  been  my  dut}'^  to  note  actual  re- 
sults. The  township  comprises  three  surveyed  townships  and  contains 
00,000  acres,  all  plains  and  cut  over  pine  lands,  except  000  acres — 
just  one  per  cent — of  hard  wood  land.  Nine  years  ago  when  lumbering 
practically  ceased  and  the  settlers  turned  to  their  farms  for  a  living 
70%  of  all  the  land  in  the  township  was  delinquent  for  taxes  and  had 
been  for  years.  There  was  not  a  rod  of  good  road  in  the  townoship. 
Farming  was  little  more  than  raising  potatoes,  hay,  and  forage  crops; 
and  these  crops  only  for  home  consumption.     Even  todaj'  there  is  not 


60 

a  mill,  an  industrial,  or  a  commercial  institution  in  the  township;  but 
in  the  last  six  years  the  value  of  the  real  property  of  the  township  has 
increased  124%  and  the  personal  property  330%,  according  to  the  assess- 
ment roll.  Ninety  per  cent  of  all  taxes  for  the  year  1911  were  paid  to 
the  township  treasurer  and  much  of  the  balance  has  since  been  paid. 
There  is  not  one  acre  of  land  held  by  the  State  Auditor  General  as  de- 
linquent for  taxes  and  past  redemption.  Nearly  eight  miles  of  gravelled 
road,  mostly  state  reward  road,  three  concrete  bridges,  and  fully  ten 
miles  of  ordinary  road  have  been  built.  There  is  a  cream  separator  in 
nearly  every  home  and  cream  goes  regularly  to  a  neighboring  creamery. 
The  acreage  devoted  to  crops  has  increased  more  than  300%.  On  my 
way  to  the  railroad  station  I  pass  five  new  commercial  apple  orchards 
containing  nearly  10,000  trees.  Do  not  such  results  as  these  entitle  a 
community  to  be  classed  as  agricultural  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  its  soils 
are  those  of  the  i)ine  plains  and  cut  over  pine  lands? 

Not  all  the  lands  of  the  township  referred  to  are  agricultural  or  even 
suitable  for  stock  grazing.  There  are  approximately  6,000  of  the  60,000 
acres  that  ought  never  to  be  cultivated,  though  some  of  them  are  suitable 
for  grazing,  and  this  is  true  in  a  greater  or  lesser  degree  of  all  northern 
townships.  The  future  of  these  lands  is  in  state  forestry.  I  have  been 
for  many  years  a  student  of  forestry,  a  member  of  the  national  and 
state  forestry  associations,  and  I  am  anxious  to  cooperate  in  all  practi- 
cal efforts  for  reforestation  and  conservation.  The  success  of  any  ex- 
tensive plan  for  forestrj-  reserve  deijends  upon  the  approval  and  sup- 
port of  the  people  of  the  district  where  such  work  is  to  be  carried  on. 
Without  it  you  cannot  succeed.  The  plan  outlined  by  secretary  of  state 
Martindale  and  supported  by  public  domain  secretary  Carton  for  ob- 
taining that  approval  and  support  is  an  excellent  one,  and  has  my  en- 
thusiastic support.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Northeastern  Michigan  Develop- 
ment Association  held  at  Bay  City  two  j^ears  ago  secretary  Martindale 
advanced  three  propositicms ;  first,  the  reappraisal  at  a  higher  valuation 
(»f  all  state  lands;  second,  the  withdrawal  from  market  of  all  lands  un- 
suited  for  argiculture  and  the  placing  of  them  in  forest  reserve;  third, 
the  State  to  pay  local  taxes  upon  forest  reserve  lands. 

The  first  and  second  of  these  recommendations  have  been  in  part 
carried  out.  Somewhat  higher  valuations  have  been  placed  upon  all 
state  lands  and  forest  reserves  have  been  created  in  most  northern 
counties.  Still  higher  valuations  should  be  placed  upon  agricultural 
land,  and  withdrawals  from  market  for  forestry'  purposes  should  extend 
to  the  scattered  tracts  unsuited  for  agriculture.  No  factor  has  better 
favored  the  land  swindler  and  more  retarded  the  sale  of  land,  public 
and  private,  to  actual  settlers,  than  extreme  low  prices.  Homeseeker 
and  investor  alike  will  not  believe  that  lands  offered  at  a  fraction  of 
the  price  they  would  be  held  at  in  other  sections  can  be  productive.  Low 
prices  of  state  lands  whether  agricultural  or  worthless  necessarily  affects 
the  i)ri<e  of  all  other  lands  and  causes  them  either  to  be  offered  in 
comi)etition  with  the  low  priced  lands  or  to  be  withdrawn  from  market 
altogether;  and  the  best  lands  are  the  ones  sure  to  be  withdrawn.  As 
for  the  third  proposition,  that  all  state  lands  withdrawn  for  forestry 
should  i)ay  local  taxes,  at  least  for  school  and  highway  purposes,  its 
justice  must  appeal  to  all.  In  any  community,  the  withdrawal  of  con- 
siderable tracts  of  land  from  settlement  and  from  participating  in  the 


61 

burdens  of  taxation  would  be  unjust  to  the  people  of  that  district  and 
would  certainly  be  resented ;  but  once  you  place  them  on  the  tax  roll  for 
local  taxation  opposition  will  cease  and  you  will  have  hearty  coopera- 
tion instead  of  intense  opposition. 

General  farming  along-  practically  the  same  lines  as  are  now  followed 
in  southern  Michigan  will  necessarily  be  the  agriculture  of  the  future 
in  northern  Michigan.  It  will  have  for  its  central  idea  stock  raising, 
potato  culture,  or  seed  production.  It  will  be  highly  profitable  when 
compared  with  that  of  other  districts  of  the  United  States  now  attract- 
ing settlers  and  otfering  investments  in  real  estate  because  of  nearness 
to  market,  transportation  facilities,  character  of  population,  stable  char- 
acter of  its  crops,  and  its  climate  and  soil. 

In  agriculture  as  in  law,  medicine,  and  mechanics,  specializing  in  some 
branch  is  a  growing  feature.  The  northern  part  of  lower  Michigan 
otters  advantages  that  are  being  everywhere  recognized  and  accepted  by 
farmers  and  investors.  Stock  raising  on  a  large  scale  is  already  estab- 
lished to  an  extent  little  appreciated  by  those  outside  of  this  industry 
and  is  bound  to  develop  wonderful  proportions;  and  lands  properly  se- 
lected for  that  i)urpose  at  present  prices  are  certain  to  make  fortunes 
for  both  investor  and  operator.  Nowhere  outside  of  the  great  ranges  of 
the  west  can  beef  and  mutton  be  produced  as  cheaply  as  here,  and  those 
ranges  are  being  broken  up  by  homesteaders  and  settlers.  Nowhere  but 
in  the  former  lumber  country  can  new  ranges  be  established  on  a  large 
scale.  The  beef  of  the  future  will  be  mainly  raised  on  the  small  farm 
and  at  a  greater  cost.  Thousands  of  acres  of  plains  and  cut  over  lands 
are  ideal  for  this  purpose ;  providing  large  areas  of  range,  high,  dry,  well 
watered  by  streams  and  lakes,  requiring  no  expense  to  fit  them  for  the 
purpose,  covered  with  nutritious  grasses,  and  with  suflflcient  timber 
growth  to  provide  shade  and  shelter.  Nowhere  can  stock  be  healthier 
or  thrive  better.  High  prices  of  meats  have  come  to  stay  and  the  district 
that  can  produce  it  is  bound  to  become  rich. 

Fruit  culture  is  a  branch  of  agriculture  also  off'eriug  fortunes  to  those 
who  engage  in  it  or  invest  in  lands  selected  for  the  purpose.  Western 
Michigan  has  an  enviable  reputation  for  fruit  culture.  But  Avestern 
Michigan  has  no  monopoly  upon  fruit  culture.  All  northern  Michigan 
has  soils  that  are  adapted  for  growing  the  highest  class  of  fruit.  Com- 
mercial orchards  are  being  established  in  every  county  from  Bay  City 
to  Mackinac  and  thousands  of  trees  have  been  set  out  the  past  few 
years. 

One  class  of  laud  investments  still  to  be  had  though  rapidly  being 
taken  up  are  properties  that  are  suited  for  recreation  and  sport.  The 
desire  for  out  of  door  sport  is  inherent  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  its  grati- 
fication is  a  part  of  his  plan  of  life.  As  population  and  wealth  increases 
the  number  who  are  able  to  indulge  in  such  sports  is  proportionately 
increased.  To  the  army  of  sportsmen  must  be  added  the  constantly  in- 
creasing number  who  seek  out  of  door  life  for  health  and  rest.  The 
army  of  health  seekers  coming  to  north  Michigan  annually  numbers 
nearly  two  hundred  thousand.  The  army  of  sportsmen  is  many  thousand. 
While  the  number  of  these  is  steadily  increasing  the  opportunities 
opened  especially  to  sportsmen  are  steadily  decreasing.  As  the  country 
is  cleared  up  and  cultivated,  as  marshes  and  swamps  are  drained,  the 
hillsides  cleared  of  timber,  and  public  highways  extended  through  the 


62 

land,  the  streams  dwindle  away,  the  temperature  of  the  waters  rise,  the 
trout  disappear,  wild  game  is  killed  off  or  driven  away,  and  the  sports- 
man or  health  seeker,  revisitino-  his  favorite  resort,  even  now  often  finds 
the  beauty  of  the  place  and  the  charm  of  the  life  gone;  and  when  he 
seeks  a  new  location  the  chances  are  he  finds  conditions  the  same  or  that 
he  is  upon  private  property  where  he  will  not  be  welcomed.  There  are 
still  many  places  in  the  State  where  the  charm  of  nature  has  not  yet 
been  destroyed  and  where  sport  with  rod  and  gun  is  still  to  be  had ;  but 
how  long  can  they  survive  the  continued  attacks  of  the  settler,  the  in- 
creasing army  of  sportsmen,  and  the  private  club?  Soon  the  only  privacy 
to  be  had  by  the  health  seeker  and  the  only  hunting  and  fishing  worthy 
of  the  name  will  be  on  private  reserves.  Investments  in  such  properties 
are  bound  to  be  profitable  and  safe. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  extreme  low  prices  at  which  land  can  be  pur- 
chased for  any  of  the  purposes  I  have  enumerated.  I  have  traced  the 
causes  for  these  low  prices  to  the  peculiar  conditions  that  long  existed 
and  the  late  day  at  which  conditions  afi'ecting  agriculture  in  general, 
became  operative  there  and  to  the  competition  with  low  priced 
lands  down  to  the  present  day.  Such  conditions  no  longer  exist  and 
low  prices  cannot  continue.  The  movement,  "Back  to  the  Farm,"  is 
no  ephemeral  impulse,  liable  to  end  suddenly,  but  a  necessary  condition 
that  must  continue  and  grow  stronger,  if  our  people  are  to  be  fed  and 
cared  for  from  the  products  of  our  own  fields. 

The  lands  with  which  the  future  homeseeker  must  be  content  and 
which  will  compete  with  Michigan  lands  will  be  neither  free  nor  low  in 
price.  They  will  be  irrigated  lands,  costly  because  of  the  expense  of 
water;  lands  high  in  price,  because  suited  for  special  agriculture,  such 
as  fruit  and  vegetable  farming,  and  most  of  all,  they  will  be,  the  surplus 
lands  of  farmers  and  the  holdings  of  investors,  who  will  part  with  them 
only,  when  offered  extreme  prices.  The  tendency  all  over  the  country  is 
higher  values  and  equalization  of  values,  and  this  tendency  will  Avork 
towards  equalizing  the  valuations  of  our  low  priced  lands  and  the  high 
priced  ones  competing  with  them  and  it  can  do  so  only  by  raising  the 
value  of  ours. 

Higher  x)rices  for  land  immediately  follow  the  location  of  the  new 
settler  in  a  community.  In  many  places  the  ideas  of  land  values  among 
residents  are  much  the  same  as  they  were  before  conditions  changed. 
The  introduction  of  a  new  settler,  willing  and  anxious  to  pay  prices  for 
land  based  on  values  prevailing  elsewhere,  is  almost  always  followed 
by  a  permanent  increase  in  prices. 

Higher  land  values  and  rapid  development  and  settlement  must  fol- 
low the  campaign  of  education  now  being  waged  by  the  Development 
Bureaus,  the  State  Boards  and  various  county,  city  and  business  organi- 
zations, all  working  to  the  same  end.  Let  increased  values  find  you  with 
an  investment  in  land  in  northern  Lower  Michigan. 

Northern  Michigan  is  sometimes  condemned  because  not  especially 
adapted  for  some  ])articular  croj)  which  happens  to  be  the  central  idea 
of  the  agriculture  the  critic  has  practiced. 

I  recall  an  incident  in  my  own  experience  illustrating  this.  Some 
months  ago  while  going  south  from  Grayling  on  the  Michigan  Central 
R.  R.,  I  had  as  my  seat-mate  an  Illinois  farmer.  He  had  travelled  from 
Chicago  to   Mackinaw,   ^'looking  the  country"  as  he  expressed  it,  and 


63 

was  now  nearing  Bay  Citj^  on  tlie  return  trip.  He  repeatedly  declared 
he  had  seen  no  land  on  his  entire  trip  that  he  would  think  of  farming — 
none  that  would  raise  50  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre.  As  we  passed  a 
]>articularly  poor  field  he  pointed  it  out  and  said,  'Xook  at  that  corn! 
I  raise  more  on  an  acre  of  my  land  in  Illinois  than  there  is  in  that  en- 
tire field."  We  had  passed  field  after  field  of  grain,  potatoes,  beans 
and  clover,  with  never  a  comment  from  the  farmer.  He  was  viewing  and 
judging  everything  through  a  cornfield!  Finally  I  said  "You  come  from 
central  Illinois,  I  judge,  where  they  raise  100  bushels  of  corn  per  acre?" 
"Yes,"  he  answered  triumphantly,"  from  near  Bloomington,  and  my  crop 
last  year  was  better  than  100  bushels  per  acre."  "And  what  is  better," 
I  added,  "you  received  50  cents  per  bushel  for  your  crop."  "More  than 
that,"  he  said:  "It  brought  me  53  cents  in  the  car."  "Do  you  raise 
potatoes,  beans  and  such  crops?"  was  my  next  question.  "No,"  was  the 
answer,  "potatoes  raised  in  our  country  are  of  very  poor  quality;  and 
as  for  beans,  every  State  yields  to  Michigan."  "How  do  you  keep  up 
the  fertility  of  your  soil  under  such  cropping?"  I  then  asked.  "Some 
of  my  neighbors  use  commercial  fertilizers,  but  most  of  us  go  back  to 
clover  every  third  or  fourth  year."  "Do  you  raise  your  clover  seed?" 
"Oh,  no,"  he  answered,  "we  buy  northern  grown  seed  if  we  can,  and 
this  year  I  paid  |10.50  per  bushel  for  my  clover  seed." 

"My  friend,"  I  said,  "the  country  you  have  been  condemning  because 
it  does  not  raise  100  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre,  does  raise  the  finest 
potatoes,  and  the  yields  are  often  200  and  even  300  bushels  per  acre, 
and  we  are  selling  them  to  you  at  75  cents  and  |1.00  per  bushel.  At 
the  station  we  just  passed  24,000  bushels  of  what  you  admit  are  the  best 
beans  in  the  world  have  been  marketed  thus  far  this  year,  and  at  another 
station  in  the  county  20,000  and  at  another  12,000  bushels,  and  we  are 
selling  them  to  you  at  a  price  that  nets  us  above  |2.00  per  bushel ;  and 
as  for  the  clover  seed  you  are  buying  to  keep  up  your  farms,  I  personally 
know  that  some  of  the  lands  you  have  especially  condemned  are  pro- 
ducing from  three  to  six  bushels  per  acre,  and  we  are  selling  it  to  at 
^10.50  per  bushel.  Did  it  ever  occur  to  you,  my  friend,  that  if  every 
acre  from  Bloomington  to  ^lackinaw  could  raise  100  bushels  of  corn  per 
acre  you  would  not  receive  53  cents,  nor  40  cents,  nor  even  30  cents 
for  your  crop  at  Bloomington?  On  the  other  hand,  if  your  clover  seed, 
potatoes  and  beans  were  as  good  as  ours  and  yielded  equally  well,  we 
would  not  be  getting  |1.00  per  bushel  for  our  potatoes  and  flO.OO  a 
bushel  for  our  clover  seed.  It  is  fortunate  for  you  people  in  Illinois  as 
well  as  for  ns  in  Michigan,  that  all  lands  are  not  equally  adapted  to 
the  same  crops." 

Another  class  who  are  sometimes  heard  condemning  our  country  are 
those  whose  knowledge  has  been  acquired  through  the  windows  of  a 
railroad  car.  Railroads  sneak  in  and  out  of  a  beautiful  city  through  its 
meaner  quarters  and  give  no  view  of  its  beauties,  and  they  do  the  same 
in  farming  communities. 

Railroads  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Lower  Peninsula  preceded  the 
settler  and  were  located  along  the  lines  of  least  resistance,  and  they 
have  aided  to  make  them  more  desolate  through  fire  and  through  lumber- 
ing operations  through  the  country  in  immediate  contact  with  them. 
What  value,  what  truth  would  there  be  in  a  judgment  passed  on  a  beau- 
tiful city  like  Detroit,  by  one  who  had  only  seen  it  passing  through  on 


64 

the  Grand  Trunk  or  Michigan  Central  R.  R.,  and  who  knew  nothing  and 
had  seen  nothing  of  its  beantifnl  river,  of  its  streets  and  boulevards,  of 
its  parks  and  public  buildings,  its  business  blocks  and  beautiful  homes? 
Equally  valueless  aud  unfounded  on  facts  is  the  judgment  often  passed 
on  the  newer  agricultural  districts  of  north  Michigan  by  travellers  from 
the  car-window,  who  see  nothing  of  the  well-tilled  fields,  the  comfort- 
able and  commodious  buildings,  the  roads  and  the  schools,  of  prosperous 
growing  communities  that  many  times  lie  just  beyond  the  streak  of 
desolation  that  bounds  the  railroad. 

Another  voice  is  sometimes  heard  in  sweeping  condemnation  of  north- 
ern Michigan,  that  of  the  Forestry  enthusiast,  whose  zeal  for  his  o^\ai 
good  cause  sometimes  blinds  him  to  everything  but  forestry.  Very  re- 
cently I  have  read  the  sweeping  statement  of  one  of  these  enthusiasts, 
that  all  the  former  lumber  country  was  valueless  for  farming  purposes, 
that  the  land  shark  and  unscrupulous  merchant  now  had  full  sway;  but 
that  soon  the  deluded  settlers  would  be  starved  out  and  the  land  would 
be  devoted  to  its  only  proper  use,  forestry. 

I  have  been  for  many  3'ears  a  student  of  forestry,  a  believer  in  its 
absolute  necessity,  a  supporter  of  every  proper  effort  to  extend  it  in 
Michigan.  I  am  one  who  does  not  consider  any  land  too  good  for  for- 
estry and  I  almost  despair  when  it  is  suggested  that  worthless  land 
alone  be  devoted  to  that  purpose.  I  am,  however,  indignant  when  zeal 
for  that  cause  leads  anj-  one  to  make  extravagant  statements  that  are 
not  justified  by  facts  and  conditions,  that  unnecessarily  injure  other  in- 
dustries and  alienates  the  support  of  people  whose  good  efforts  are  nec- 
essary to  success,  and  injures  and  retards  the  cause  of  Forestry  itself. 
That  portions  of  the  northern  part  of  our  State  are  not  suited  to  farming 
and  should  be  reforested,  I  have  already  admitted;  that  unscrupulous 
real  estate  men  are  offering  such  lands  for  sale  as  farming  lands  I 
know  to  be  true,  but  I  also  know  that  such  conditions  prevail  to  a  far 
greater  extent  in  Oregon,  in  Florida  and  in  Texas  and  in  every  new  and 
developing  country;  and  I  further  knoAv  that  the  forces  working  for  the 
true  development  of  northern  Michigan,  such  as  the  Development 
Bureaus  and  the  Public  Domain  Commission,  are  fighting  such  practices. 

This  meeting  is  a  grand  one ;  it  is  called  to  consider  questions  every 
one  of  which  is  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  the  sole  topic  of  this  gather- 
ing, it  cannot  but  result  in  furthering  every  cause  presented.  The  great- 
est and  most  lasting  benefit  that  Avill  result,  will,  I  believe,  be  the  de- 
monstration that  these  great  problems.  Forestry  in  all  its  forms.  Agri- 
cultural development  of  our  newer  communities.  Game  protection,  the 
Conservation  of  bird  life  and  the  development  and  conservation  of 
water  power  are  not  antagonistic  to  each  other,  but  may  all  be  worked 
out  in  their  entirety  and  yet  supplement  and  benefit  each  other. 


65 


WATERWAYS. 

MRS.    HARRIETT    M.    SEABRIXG,    MANISTEE. 

Mr.  Giffoi'd  Pinehot  says:  *'The  people  of  the  United  States  are  on 
the  verge  of  one  of  the  great  quiet  decisions  which  determine  national 
destinies." 

Crises  happen  in  peace  as  well  as  war,  and  a  peaceful  crisis  may  be 
as  vital  and  controlling  as  any  that  comes  with  national  uprising  and 
the  clash  of  arms.  Such  a  crisis, — uneventful  and  almost  unperceived, 
— is  upon  us  now,  and  unwittingly  we  are  engaged  in  making  the  de- 
cision that  is  thus  forced  upon  us. 

The  question  we  are  deciding  with  so  little  consciousness  of  what  it 
involves  is  this: — What  shall  we  do  with  our  natural  resources? — Upon 
the  final  answer  that  we  shall  make  to  it,  hangs  the  success  or  the  fail- 
ure of  this  nation  in  accomplishing  its  manifest  destiny. 

Danger  to  a  nation  comes  either  from  without  or  within.  In  the  first 
great  crisis  of  our  histoiw, — the  Revolution, — another  people  attempted 
from  without  to  halt  the  march  of  our  destiny  by  refusing  to  us  liberty. 
With  reasonable  preparedness  and  prudence  we  need  never  fear  another 
such  attempt.  If  there  be  danger,  it  is  not  from  an  external  source. 
In  the  second  great  crisis, — the  Civil  War, —  a  part  of  our  own  people 
strove  for  an  end  which  would  have  checked  the  progress  of  development. 
Another  such  attempt  has  become  forever  impossible.  If  there  be 
danger,  it  is  not  from  a  division  of  our  people.  In  the  third  great 
crisis  which  has  now  come  upon  us  unawares,  our  Avhole  people, — un- 
consciously, and  for  lack  of  foresight, — seem  to  have  united  to  deprive 
the  nation  of  the  great  natural  resources,  without  which  it  cannot  en- 
dure. This  is  the  pressing  danger  now,  and  it  is  not  the  least  to  which 
our  national  life  has  been  exposed.  A  nation  deprived  of  liberty  may 
win  it,  a  nation  divided  may  reunite,  but  a  nation  whose  natural  re- 
sources are  destroyed,  must  inevitably  pay  the  penalty  of  poverty, 
degradation,  and  decay. 

The  diversion  of  great  acres  of  our  public  lands  from  the  home-maker 
to  the  landlord,  and  the  speculator; — the  national  neglect  of  great 
water-powers, — which  might  well  relieve,  being  perennially  renewed, — 
the  drain  upon  our  non-renewable  coal ; — the  disuse  of  the  cheaper 
transportation  of  our  waterways, — which  involves  but  little  demand . 
upon  our  non-renewable  supplies  of  iron  ore, — and  the  use  of  the  rail 
instead, — these  are  other  items  in  the  huge  bill  of  particulars  of  na- 
tional waste. 

What  do  we  mean  by  our  natural  resources?  Those  resources  inherent 
in  the  land, — found  here  when  the  country  was  discovered, — the  founda- 
tion of  our  very  existence  as  individuals,  and  as  a  nation. 

What — in  brief — does  Conservation  mean?     It  means  that  the  dura- 
tion of  our  mineral  sujiplies  shall  be  prolonged  to  the  utmost  limit; 
that  the  land  shall  be  so  used  as  to  [preserve  its  fertility,  and  prevent 
soil  erosion;  that  arid  lands  shall  be  reclaimed  by  irrigation,  and  the 
9 


66 

swamp  and  overflow  biiids"!  b.v  diainage  that  the  waters  shall  be  saved 
and  controlled  in  ])urity  and  abundance  for  water  supply.  Irrigation, 
power  and  navigation ;  that  forests  shall, — as  may  need  require — be 
preserved  untouched,  for  the  regulation  of  water  How,  and  protection  of 
soil,  or  be  scientifically  cultivated  for  the  production  of  wood  and  other 
crops;  that  the  natural  and  historic  wonders  of  our  country  be  pro- 
tected, and  made  accessible;  and  finally — that  all  these  Resources — 
together  with  birds,  fish  and  game,  be  kept  from  private  monopoly,  and 
made  subject  to  efficient  public  control. 

How  can  these  objects  be  attained?     Only  through  Education. 

What  specific  objects  can  the  women  of  the  nation  do  for  Conserva- 
tion? The  General  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  The  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  the  other  organizations  of  women  have  begun 
admirably  by  the  appointment  of  Conservation  Committees. 

Giff'ord  Pinchot  says  that  the  success  of  the  Conservation  movement 
in  the  end  dei)ends  on  the  understanding  the  women  have  of  it;  that 
the  issue  is  a  moral  one,  and  that  women  are  the  first  teachers  of  right 
and  wrong.  Women  alone,  can  bring  to  the  school  children  the  idea  of 
the  wickedness  of  national  waste  and  the  value  of  public  saving. 

Fe^'  people  realize  what  women  have  already  done  for  Conservation, 
Some  of  the  earliest  efl:ective  forest  work  that  was  done  in  the  United 
States, — work  which  laid  the  lines  that  have  been  followed  since,— 
Avas  that  of  the  Pennsylvania  Forestry  Association,  begun  and  carried 
through, — ^first  of  all^ — by  the  Avomen  of  IMiiladelphia. 

One  of  the  bravest,  most  intelligent  and  most  successful  tights  for 
Forestry  ever  made,  was  that  of  the  AVomen  of  Minnesota  for  the  Minne- 
sota National  Forest.  It  was  a  superb  success,  and  we  have  that  Forest 
today.  There  has  never  been  a  tiner  case  of  persistent  agitation  under 
discouragement,  than  the  fight  that  the  women  of  California  have  made 
to  save  the  great  grove  of  Calaveras  big  trees.  As  a  result,  the  govera- 
ment  has  taken  possession  of  the  forest  and  Avill  ])reserve  it  for  all 
future  generations. 

There  is  in  this  country  no  other  movement — except,  ])ossibly  the  edu- 
cational movement, — and  that,  after  all,  is  only  another  })hase  of  the 
Convervation  movement — so  directly  aimed  to  help  the  children,— so 
CfHiditioned  upon  the  needs  of  the  children, — so  belonging  to  the  children 
as  the  Conservation  movement,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  it  has  the 
su])port  of  the  Avomen  of  the  nation. 

"The  future  life  and  health  of  the  peoi)le,  and  the  develo])nient  and 
growth  of  the  country  depend  absolutely  upon  its  water  supply,  and  if 
'it  is  not  conserved,  disnuil  results  Avill  follow."  so  states  Dr.  W.  W. 
McGee,  expert  in  soil  and  water  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

Water  is  by  far  the  most  important  of  the  non-organic  i)roducts  of  the 
Avorld, — more  imjmrtant  even  than  coal  or  iron, — more  imi)ortant  from 
the  point  of  view  of  mankind,  indeed,  than  all  of  the  metals.  Water  is 
the  basis  of  life.  On  the  average,  the  plant-tissue  of  animals  is  three- 
fourths  water,  and  of  ])ei-('nnials,  three-eighths.  Animals,  including 
hunum  beings,  are  SO  ])er  cent  water.  The  very  bi-ain  is  four^fifths 
water,  a  significant  fact  to  reflect  upon. 

Not  only  are  the  organic  tissues  in  very  large  measure  com])osed  of 
water,  but  for  their  pioduction  is  required  many  times  their  weight  in 
Avater.    According  to  Frlanger,  the  average  man  of  150  lbs.,  ingests  each 


67 

year  about  264  gallons  of  water,  or  35  cubic  feet,  the  weight  of  which  is 
more  than  a  ton. 

According  to  Stoddart,  to  produce  a  bushel  of  corn  requires — through 
necessary  evaporation  from  the  soil  and  transpiration  of  the  plants — 
from  10  to  20  tons  of  water.  According  to  King,  in  Wisconsin,  the 
amount  of  water  required  for  evaporation  and  transpiration  to  produce 
one  pound  of  dry  matter  for  various  crops,  varies  from  440  lbs.  to  576 
lbs.,  with  an  average  for  six  kinds  of  crops  of  446  lbs.  To  produce  a  ton 
of  dry  clover  requires  576  tons  of  water. 

According  to  McGee,  to  produce  a  pound  of  beef  requires  directly  and 
indirectly  thr<mgh  the  feed,  15  to  30  tons  of  water. 

The  supply  of  water  is  permanent,  but  limited,  and  it  is  limited  to 
a  (juautity  too  small  for  the  full  development  of  other  resources.  Fully 
a  third  of  our  territory  remains  practically  unoccupied  and  nearly-  un- 
productive, by  reason  of  aridity.  With  twice  our  water  equalh'  dis- 
tributed over  our  present  land,  our  capacity  for  population  and  indus- 
tries would  be  more  than  doubled.  Since,  therefore,  the  supply  is  per- 
](etual  but  insufficient,  the  conservation  of  Avater  means  the  fullest  utili- 
zation of  the  largest  quantity  that  can  be  made  available. 

Water  is  the  first  of  our  resources.  It  is  the  natural  resolvent.  It  is 
power,  fertility,  everything.  And  being  fundamental,  values  begin  with 
the  water  supi)ly.  What  we  want  to  do  is  to  minimize  the  waste  of 
water,  and  maximize  the  benefits  which  must  come  to  the  citizens  and 
country,  by  proper  conservation  of  water  supply.  If  we  so  control  the 
water  that  the  rivers  shall  flow  in  uniform  stage,  Ave  will  solve  the 
])robIem  of  inland  navigation  and  make  the  United  States  richer  by  a 
thousand  per  cent,  than  they  are  today.  In  order  to  do  this  Ave  must 
e(pialize  the  run  of  the  streams  at  the  heads  of  the  riAcrs,  and  this  may 
be  done  by  dams  and  reservoirs,  and  scientific  cultivation  of  the  soil 
along  the  courses  of  both  stream  and  rivers. 

It  is  a  fact  that  each  year  the  riA'ers  of  mainland  United  States,  pour 
into  the  sea  a  thousand  million  tons  of  the  richest  soil  matter  in  the 
form  of  suspended  sediment,  an  impost  greater  than  all  our  land  taxes 
combined,  and  a  commensurate  injury  to  commerce  in  the  loAver  rivers, 
Avhich  are  rendered  capricious  and  difficult  of  control  bv  the  unstable 
load. 

Our  National  Waterways  Commission  stand  for  extending,  develop- 
ing, and  maintaining  our  country's  waterways,  for  navigation  and  trans- 
portation, developing  and  protecting  the  Avater  power  of  our  rivers,  pro- 
tecting the  water  from  pollution,  that  the  streams  may  be  sanitary  as 
Avell  as  clear,  the  care  of  the  rain  fall,  that  the  Avaters  may  be  conserved 
through  the  forests  at  the  head  waters  of  our  streams,  along  the  AA'ater 
sheds  and  reservoirs,  for  navigating  purposes,  and  also  to  maintain  an 
even  floAv  for  navigation. 

Tavo  hundred  trillion  cubic  feet  of  Avater,  on  an  average  fall  on  the 
surface  of  the  United  States  CA-ery  year.  The  average  annual  precipita- 
tion on  the  United  States  as  a  Avhole  is  30  inches, — in  the  humid  region, 
48  inches;  in  the  semi-humid  30  inches;  and  in  the  arid  region,  12 
inches. 

Precipitation  is  disposed  of  according  to  the  three  folloAving  methods. 

First — Fly-otf — the  Avater  which  is  immediately  returned  to  the  at- 
mosphere by  evaporation.     Second — Cut-off, — the  water  absorbed  by  the 


68 

earth  which  is  consumed  bv  vegetation,  or  which  sinks  to  join  the  imder- 
ground  reservoirs.  Third — Run-off. — the  water  which  passes  into  rivers 
and  thence  to  the  sea. 

Under  Fly-off,  we  find  the  necessity  of  controlling  too  rapid  evapora- 
tion in  order  that  the  water  may  be  directly  iitilized  before  returning  to 
the  atmosphere.  This  is  accomplished  by  various  processes  of  agricul- 
ture, by  forestation  and  other  ways.  The  Cut-off,  or  underground  water 
is  the  medium  which  dissolves  the  earth's  salts  and  conveys  them  to 
the  roots  of  the  living  plants, — it  is  the  source  of  plant  cultivation. 
This  huge  underground  reservoir  is  the  source  of  all  the  springs  and 
wells, — cold  and  hot — natural  and  artificial.  The  inestimable  import- 
ance of  the  underground  supply  is  appreciated  when  it  is  known  that 
])robably  three-fourths  of  the  population  of  this  country  obtain  their 
water  for  domestic  purposes  from  this  source.  Also,  underground  water 
obtained  by  artesian  wells, — or  by  pumping — is  extensively  used  for 
irrigation.  Throughout  the  upland  portion  of  the  Eastern  United  States 
the  average  water  table  (underground  water)  has  been  lowered  10  to 
40  ft.  so  that  fully  three-fourths  of  the  springs  and  shallower  wells  have 
failed,  and  many  brooks  have  run  dry,  while  the  risk  of  crop  loss  has 
proportionately  increased. 

Under  Run-off, — we  have,  ^ 

1 — Domestic  and  Municipal   Supply. 
2 — Irrigation. 
3— Power. 
•4 — Navigation. 

The  question  of  water  conservation  is  one  that  sends  its  roots  not  only 
into  the  devolopment  and  prosperity  of  the  Nation,  but  into  the  nation's 
health,  as  well.  Homes  first  sprang  into  existence  where  nature  yielded 
ii  bountiful  supply  of  water.  Rome  shows  aqueducts  covering  miles  on 
miles,  which — according  to  Pliny — were  begun  321  B.  C.  at  a  cost  of 
•^12,700,000. 

Let  us  touch  upon  the  proper  Conservation  of  water  as  a  vital  factor 
in  human  existence,  for,  since  water  is  the  medium  of  organic  circu- 
lation, it  follows  that  in  the  economic  scheme  of  existence,  water  is 
secondary  in  importance  to  air,  only.  Obviously  the  health  of  our 
American  people  should  be  paramount  to  all  else,  since  our  efficiency 
as  a  nation  must  depend  upon  our  national  vitality. 

Improvements  should  be  sought  for  in  sanitary  and  hygienic  regula- 
tion of  all  sources  of  water  supply.  The  fight  for  purity  in  drinking 
water  is  one  that  should  appeal  to  every  woman.  Prof.  Halsey.  of  New 
York,  recently  said  to  a  class  of  post-graduate  medical  students.  "Where 
liquor  has  added  one  name  to  the  death-list,  foul  water  has  added  more 
than  a  score." 

We  know  that  many  large  cities  like  Buffalo.  Erie.  Cleveland,  Detroit 
and  Milwaukee  discharge  their  sewage  into  the  lakes,  and  we  also 
know  how  Chicago  and  Cleveland  suffered  from  tyi)hoid  fever  visitatif)ns 
by  contamination  of  their  OAvn  water  su])plies. 

According  to  the  census  of  1900  there  were  3."),37l)  deaths  from  ty]thoid 
fever  throughout  the  United  States;  based  on  an  estimated  mortality  of 
10  per  cent,  it  is  within  reason  to  assume  a  yearly  prevalence  353,700 
cases  of  this  disease.  If  we  calculate  the  average  cost  for  care,  treat- 
ment, and  loss  of  work  to  be  |300.  and  the  average  value  of  a  human 


69 

life  at  15,000,  we  have  a  total  loss  in  the  United  States  of  |283,032,000, 
from  one  so-called  ''preventable  disease." 

Mr.  George  C.  Whipple,  in  his  paper — "^'The  Value  of  Pure  Water," — 
presents  some  striking-  evidence  to  indicate  that  a  loss  of  |10,000  for 
everv  death  from  typhoid  fever  is  a  conservative  estimate, — in  which 
case  the  decrease  in  the  ''vital  assets"  during  the  census  year  of  1900 
would  amount  to  |353,790.  Reduce  the  prevalence  of  this  disease  one- 
half  (which  has  been  accomplished  in  Europe  and  in  our  own  country), 
and  the  question  of  the  hygienic  value  of  pure  water  will  be  answered 
from  an  economic  point  of  view. 

Mr.  Whipple  states  that  deaths  from  typhoid  fever,  and  from  other 
diseases  represent  a  very  material  loss  of  the  productive  capacity  of  a 
community,  and  consequently  a  decrease  in  what  may  be  termed  the 
"vital  assets." 

He  computes — upon  what  may  be  regarded  as  a  very  sound  basis — - 
that  each  million  gallons  of  polluted  Alleghany  River  water  pumped 
into  Pittsburg  has  heretofore  reduced  the  "vital  assets"  of  the  commun- 
ity by  -fllO.  This— for  a  population  of  350,000— amounts  to  |3,850,000 
per  year — a  sum  enormously  greater  than  the  annual  cost  of  making  the 
water  pure. 

It  is  said  that  running  water  purifies  itself  every  eight  miles,  but  the 
fact  is,  that  Avater  once  polluted  can  never  again  be  considered  in  a 
perfectly  sanitary  condition. 

If  the  limitations  of  streams  as  self  clariflers  were  better  known, 
there  would  be  such  protection  given  to  them  and  their  water-sheds, 
that  there  would  be  no  more  refuse  containing  typhoid,  cholera,  and  in- 
flammatorv  intestinal  germs  given  them — especially  if  the  great  dis- 
tance these  germs  travel,  and  their  tenacity  of  life  were  better  known. 

Before  swamp  drainage  was  commenced  on  an  extensive  scale  in 
Indiana,  Illinois  and  Iowa,  the  mortality  from  malaria  was  52  per  cent 
per  thousand,  since  then  it  has  fallen  to  8.6  per  cent.  On  the  other 
hand,  where  drainage  has  not  been  extensively  introduced — as  in  Miss- 
issippi, Georgia  and  Florida,  the  death  rate  from  malaria  has  been 
practically  stationary. 

The  factors  that  may  affect  a  water  supply — making  it  dangerous — 
are  numerous.  Water  for  drinking  must  be  free  from  all  poisonous 
substances — such  as  lead,  zinc,  arsenic, — and  all  chemical  substances 
and  microscopic  organisms. 

Water  that  has  any  odor  or  color,  is  not  considered  pure,  and  is  not 
good  for  domestic  use.  The  water  obtained  from  rivers  is  purer  near 
the  sources, — since  the  water  courses  are  the  natural  drainage  channels 
of  the  countr}-,  and  the  waste  of  human  life  and  occupation  find  their 
way  into  these  streams. 

The  epidemic  of  typhoid  which  seized  Pittsburg  a  few  years  ago, — 
resulting  in  such  an  appalling  loss  of  life, — was  traced  to  the  empty- 
ing of  the  waste  of  one  typhoid  patient,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Alleghany 
River.  Besides  the  emptying  of  sewers  into  water  courses,  there  are 
other   forms   of   pollution. 

One  paper  mill  on  the  Potomac  River  discharges  daily,  into  the  river 
over  100,000  gallons  of  liquid,  heavily  laden  with  sulphuric  and  tannic 
acid;  so  great  is  the  resulting  pollution  at  times,  that  much  of  the 
fish  and  game  have  been  destroyed. 


70 

In  rural  houseliokls  and  comninnities,  refuse  should  be  so  treated 
as  to  yield  a  high  grade  fertilizer,  and  urban  sewerage  should  be  con- 
verted into  a  source  of  municipal  revenue. 

A  wise  and  beneficent  measure  was  the  recent  creation  of  The  Lake 
Michigan  Water  Commission,  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Evans,  then 
health  commissioner  of  Chicago.  The  Commission  has  united  represen- 
tatives of  the  states  which  border  on  Lake  ^lichigan. — of  the  cities 
which  depend  on  it  for  their  water  supply, — and  of  certain  departments 
of  the  national  government— for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  pollution 
of  the  waters  of  the  lake  in  all  of  its  phases. 

The  report  of  the  Commission  for  1010  states  that  many  examinations 
jiad  been  made,  and  it  had  been  ascertained  that  none  of  the  communi- 
ties taking  water  from  Lake  Michigan,  and  using  it  without  filtration, 
lias  a  su])ply  that  is  above  suspicion.  Practically  none  of  the  sewerage 
entering  the  lake  is  treated.  As  currents  of  considerable  velocity  may 
carry  sewerage  quite  a  distance,  it  is  the  conclusion  of  the  Commission 
that  localities  on  the  lake — even  twenty  or  thirty  miles  distant  from 
any  point  of  entrance  of  sewage — cannot  be  safe  when  taking  water 
from  the  lake  for  domestic  use.  The  work  of  the  Commission  is  being 
carried  on  with  untiring  zeal.  The  data  already  obtained,  and  that  to 
be  obtained  in  the  future,  will  be  of  the  greatest  service  to  Lake  Michi- 
gan communities.  It  will  make  it  possible  for  each  of  them  tt)  deal  in- 
telligently with  the  serious  question  of  sewerage  disposal,  and  to  pro- 
tect the  health  of  the  citizens  against  water-borne  diseases. 

The  Lake  Carriers  Conference  is  also  very  active  in  the  great  ])ure 
water  campaign,  and  at  its  Detroit  meeting  in  1911.  Mr.  W.  M.  Mills, 
president  of  the  Niagara  frontier  Pure  Water  conference  said :  "It  is 
the  belief  of  the  members  of  this  conference,  that  the  great  and  con- 
stantly growing  cities  along  the  lakes  which  dump  their  sewerage  into 
the  water,  contaminate  it  to  a  much  larger  extent  than  is  usually  sup- 
posed, and  endanger  not  only  a  great  many  lives  in  the  cities  themselves 
—  (they  get  their  Avater  from  the  lakes)  but  also  the  lives  of  some 
10.000,000  people  Avho  are  ])assengers.  or  are  employed  on  the  steamers 
that  i)ly  on  the  lakes  every  year." 

Many  vessels  take  on  water  ballast  in  a  contaminated  harbor  reeking 
with  filth,  sewerage,  and  refuse  of  all  kinds,  and  ui)on  approaching  the 
port  of  destination  for  cargoes,  this  is  dumped  again.  In  this  way  pol- 
lution is  carried  back  and  forth  throughout  the  entire  great  lakes 
system. 

Turning  filth  and  sewerage  into  the  nearest  body  of  Avater  is  a  medieval 
inheritance.  It  is  killing  nearly  as  many  peoi)le  in  the  Cnited  States 
annually  as  the  historic  black  plagues  which  used  to  ravage  the  ignor- 
ant ancients. 

Sewerage  disposal  on  scientific  lines  is  the  only  remedy.  This  should 
be  undertaken  by  the  cities  individually,  or  by  the  national  government. 
Thus  far  the  work  of  the  Conference  has  been  devoted  to  gathering 
statistics  of  great  lakes,  cities  and  villages, — in  interesting  commercial 
bodies  in  the  movement,  and  in  making  a  trij)  to  Washington. 

There  the  })resident  encouraged  the  movement,  and  tlie  attorney-gen- 
eral gave  an  olf-hand  o])inion  that  the  matter  was  one  of  inter-state 
jurisdiction,    and   one   the   national    government   might   well    undertake. 


71 

The  8iirgeon-general  of  the  U.  S.  became  interested  in  the  cause,  and 
has  been  supporting  it. 

The  first  actual  move  in  a  national  campaign  to  prohibit  the  drainage 
of  sewerage  into  the  fresh  water  lakes  and  streams,  and  to  compel  the 
disposal  of  municipal  refuse  by  incineration,  or  other  means,  was  made 
last  spring  in  the  house  of  representatives.  It  inaugurates  a  national 
campaign  on  the  causes  of  typhoid  fever  ei)idemics.  Rep.  Sulzer  of 
New  York  introduced  a  resolution  ])roposing  a  convention  between  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  under  the  terms  of  which  the  pollution  of 
the  great  lakes  from  sewerage  and  similar  sources  may  be  prevented. 

It  contemplates  an  international  agreement  prohibiting  cities  and  all 
other  communities  and  persons  from  depositing  waste  matter  in  any  of 
the  five  lakes.  The  object  is  the  same  as  that  aimed  at  by  the  Lake 
Michigan  Water  Commission. 

Within  a  short  time  another  resolution  will  be  introduced,  proposing 
that  the  federal  government  prohibit  pollution  by  sewerage  of  all  navi- 
gable rivers  and  streams  between  two  states.  At  the  same  time  an 
educational  campaign  will  be  inaugurated  to  encourage  the  enactment 
of  similar  prohibitory  legislation  by  states, — applying  to  all  streams 
and  other  bodies  of  water  under  state  jurisdiction, — solely.  A  conspicu- 
ous example  of  such  a  step  is  New  York — in  which  state  a  law  recently 
went  into  effect  prohibiting  the  disposal  of  sewerage  in  any  lake  or 
stream.  The  statute  was  enacted  three  years  ago,  since  which  time  the 
communities  have  made  arrangements  to  dispose  of  their  sewerage  other- 
wise than  by  drainage  into  streams  and  lakes,  the  usual  method  adopted 
being  that  of  incineration. 

Our  nation  is  practically  at  the  end  of  its  farming  area,  except  for 
those  semi-arid  districts  whose  wonderful  fertility  is  almost  our  only 
means  of  expanding-  our  crop  production  to  keep  pace  with  our  increased 
-  population. 

Irrigation  is  the  artificial  transfer  to  the  land,  of  water, — for  the  pur- 
poses of  agriculture — and  among  its  numerous  advantages  may  be  num- 
bered— the  transformation  of  lands  almost  worthless — because  of  arid- 
ity— to  a  more  highly  productive  condition  than  any  lands  where  irri- 
gation is  not  practiced; — abundant  mineral  plant  foods; — continuous 
sunshine; — perfect  control  of  water  supply; — several  annual  crops; — 
minimum  soil  erosion. 

There  are  four  plans  under  which  irrigation  is  mainly  extended,  and 
conducted. 

1.  By  co-operation  of  farmers,  and  by  small  corporations. 

2.  By  the  creation  of  irrigation  districts. 

3.  Under  the  Carey  Act. 

4.  By  the  Reclamation  Service. 

The  work  of  the  Reclamation  Service  is  one  of  the  most  far-reaching 
ever  undertaken  by  the  government.  The  reclamation  act  was  made  a 
law  on  June  17,  when  President  Roosevelt  signed  the  bill. 

The  law  provides  that  all  moneys  received  from  the  sale  of  public 
lands  in  19  western  states  should  be  set  aside  as  a  special  fund  to  be 
known  as  a  reclamation  fund — to  be  used  for  the  construction  of  irriga- 
tion works,  and  the  reclamation  of  arid  and  semi-arid  lands; — that  the 
lands  so  reclaimed  should  be  subject  to  homestead  entry,  without  any 


72 

cliaige  except  that  the  settler  pay — in  not  more  than  ten  annual  install- 
ments— without  interest — ^his  proportion  expended  in  reclaiming  his 
land. 

Under  the  provisions  of  this  act,  the  reclamation  service  has  ex- 
pended nearly  $50,000,000  upon  32  irrigation  projects. 

When  all  the  projects  are  completed,  the  government  will  have  re- 
claimed approximatelv  3,300,000  acres  of  land  at  a  cost  of  about 
$100,000,000. 

These  acres  will  furnish  farms  for  nearly  100,000  families. 

The  desert  land  will  not  average  ten  dollars  an  acre,  irrigated  it  is 
worth  |150  an  acre.  The  total  area  of  lands  which  could  be  advantage- 
ously irrigated  is  not  less  than  7.59.000.000  acres,  but  owing  to  lack  of 
water  less  than  one-tenth  of  this  area  is  capable  of  irrigation. 

Mr.  F.  H.  Newell, — director  of  the  Reclamation  Service, — states  that 
at  present  there  are  25,000  families  in  Chicago, — all  of  them  well  to-do 
— who  are  planning  to  settle  upon  the  lands  reclaimed  by  the  govern- 
ment irrigation  projects,  and  he  urges  the  issuance  of  irrigation  bonds 
to  the  extent  of  |10.000,000  to  raise  funds  to  push  the  work  more  rap- 
idly, and  furnish  homes  for  nearly  100,000  farmers  who  will  otherwise 
follow  the  tide  of  emigration  into  Canada. 

Mr.  Newell  further  states  in  his  report  that  the  Reclamation  Service 
has  made  some  350  miles  of  roads;  has  engaged  in  manufacturing  vari- 
ous articles  of  storage,  dams  and  other  works, — including  the  making  of 
bricks  and  cement ;  and  up  to  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  closing  June  30, 
1909,  it  had  also  constructed  2,380  miles  of  canals — built  681  bridges 
—of  a  total  length  of  19,231  feet— built  290.938  feet  of  dikes  and  levees, 
— excavated  more  than  50,000,000  cubic  yards  of  earth  and  rock — laid 
205,289  feet  of  riprap — constructed  371  miles  of  roads — built  874  miles 
of  telephone  line — used  up  638,237  barrels  of  cement — laid  772,801  cubic 
yards  of  cement, — and  built  57  tunnels  of  a  total  length  of  82,279  feet 
— or  more  than  15  miles. 

The  average  rate  of  expenditure  for  the  last  few  vears  has  been  about 
11,000,000  per  month. 

The  14  states  and  territories  named  in  the  Reclamation  Act  produced 
in  1908 — 330,250,000  bushels  of  wheat,  or  50  per  cent  of  the  whole  crop 
of  this  countrv— valued  at  |291,112,0(M) ;— 553,564  bushels  of  corn,  or 
21  per  cent  of  all,— worth  |290,546,000 ;— 89,058,000  bushels  of  barley, 
or  53  per  cent  of  all— worth  |42,241,000 ;— 208,091,000  bushels  of  oats, 
or  26  per  cent— worth  $92,731,000;— 51,782,000  bushels  of  potatoes,  or 
15  per  cent^!34,503,000;  and  16,532  tons  of  hay,  or  23  per  cent— worth 
$120,571,000.— yet  these  states  and  territories  contain  a  land  area  of 
1.552.737  scjuare  miles,  out  of  a  total  of  2,974,150  in  the  whole  U.  S. — 
or  52  per  cent  of  our  continental  area — exclusive  of  Alaska,  and  in 
1900  they  were  inhabited  by  only  7,747,192  people, — a  beggarly  10  per 
cent  of  our  entire  jKjpulation. 

While  the  federal  government  is  engaged  in  adding  an  area  twice  as 
big  as  the  state  of  A'irginia  to  the  farming  laud  of  the  U.  S.  through 
the  reclamation  of  arid  lands  in  the  west,  the  states  themselves  are 
tackliug  the  problem  of  adding  a  much  larger  area  to  their  farm  lands 
through  draining  swamps. 

There  are  about  80,000,000  acres  of  swamp  land  in  the  several  states. 


73 

This  inelndes  lands  that  are  permanently  swampy,  those  that  are  avail- 
able for  grazing  lands  at  certain  seasons,  and  those  that  are  worked  as 
farms  except  in  times  of  high  water,  when  they  are  always  overflowed. 
There  is  still  another  and  much  larger  class  that  comes  within  the  scope 
of  the  drainage  investigations.  These  are  lands  that  are  worked  as 
farms  at  all  seasons,  but  whose  production  would  be  increased  20  per 
€ent  by  efficient  drainage. 

The  lands  that  are  to  be  drained  are  wholly  in  the  hands  of  states  or 
private  individuals.  Br  a  law  passed  in  1850  the  general  government 
made  over  to  the  states  all  lands  that  were  known  as  swamp,  or  over- 
flowed lands. 

In  the  valley  from  Chicago  to  the  Gulf  are  32,000  square  miles — ■ 
more  than  20,000,000  acres, — subject  to  overflow.  About  5,000  square 
miles  in  Illinois — more  than  the  area  of  Porto  Rico — requires  on\j 
drainage  and  protection. 

In  the  best  days  of  Egypt,  in  the  days  of  the  Pharaohs,  there  were 
never  cultivated  more  than  5,000,000  acres  of  land,  and  under  a  climate 
quite  as  favorable,  there  are  now  four  possible  Egypts — scantily  devel- 
oped— between  Cairo  and  the  Gulf. 

Historians  saj'  that  her  in  height  Egypt  supported  but  10,000,000 
people,  yet  this  undeveloped  area  could  be  made  to  support  40,000,000. 

The  reclamation  of  similar  lands  along  the  Gulf  from  Mobile  to  Gal- 
veston for  100  miles  to  the  interior, — say  the  engineers — will  a-dd  as 
much  more  new  territory. 

Mr.  M.  C.  Leighton — chief  Hydrographer  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Sur- 
vey— says  that  the  American  people  may  be  likened  to  the  man,  who, 
having  sought  in  vain  over  the  whole  earth  for  a  four  leaf  clover,  re- 
turned home  to  find  it  in  his  own  door-j^ard.  In  his  world-Avide  search 
for  wealth,  the  American  has  failed  to  appraise  great  riches  that  lie 
at  his  feet;  these  riches  consist  of  these  80,000,000  acres  of  swamp-land 
— an  area  greater  than  that  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  Our  swamp- 
lands do  not  remain  undeveloped  because  there  are  no  people  to  occupy 
them — on  the  contrary  the  demand  for  agricultural  land  is  increasing; 
already  285,000  people  have  emigrated  to  new  lands  in  Canada  during 
the  last  three  3^ears.  Every  citizen  of  the  U.  S.  should  see  the  Report 
on  Immigration  for  1910 — especially  that  part  written  by  Mr.  N.  J. 
White— Inspector  of  United  States  Agencies,  and  press  agent. 

Mr.  White  is  the  official  in  charge  of  the  nineteen  offices  established 
in  the  U.  S.  by  the  Canadian  Government  to  encourage  our  citizens  to 
move  across  the  border.  These  offices  extend  from  Biddeford,  Maine,  to 
Spokane,  Washington.  They  have  sub-agencies  through  which  work  is 
carried  on  in  every  part  of  the  U.  S.  Mr.  White  points  out  the  steady 
increase  in  American  emigration  from  2,412  persons  in  1897 — to  103,798 
in  1910.  How  many  citizens  know  that  for  fourteen  years  the  Canadian 
Government  has  been  canvassing  the  U.  S.  for  settlers? 

To  quote  further  from  the  report  of  Mr.  White — "the  value  of  the  im- 
migration from  the  U.  S.  can  scarcely  be  given  in  figures,  although  if 
this  Avere  to  be  considered,  I  believe  it  would  be  largely  in  excess  of  the 
$795,000,000  placed  upon  it  by  the  Department.  I  have  met  many  cases 
where  the  individual  took  with  him  as  much  as  |40,000  or  $50,000 — 
that  our  government  is  finally  awakening  to  the  increasing  danger  from 


Canadian  emigiation  is  evinced  by  tlie  following  recent  action  at  Wash- 
ington:  "In  the  hoj)e  of  checking  emigration  of  American  farmers  to  the 
Canadian  northwest,  important  amendments  to  liberalize  the  i»nl)lic  laud 
laws  were  favorably  re])orted  today  (Jan.  24.  1912.)  by  !r>enator  ^>moot, 
of  the  public  lauds  committee.  The  enforced  term  of  residence  in  a 
homestead  would  be  reduced  from  five  years  to  three,  and  a  homesteader 
would  be  permitted  to  absent  himself  from  his  claim  six  mouths  every 
year.  Senator  Borah,  and  others  have  declared — in  the  senate — ^that 
American  citizens  were  being  driven  to  Canada  at  the  rate  of  100,000 
a  year  by  our  stringent  land  laws."' 

The  foUoAving  clipjjing  is  from  the  Chicago  Kecord-Herald  of  March 
12.  11(12.  "The  first  colonist  train  of  the  season  left  here  today  with 
about  200  homeseekers  for  different  parts  of  the  Canadian  northwest. 
The  train  was  composed  of  more  than  (»0  freight  cars  and  several  pas- 
senger coaches.  Railway  representatives  declare  that  the  movement  to 
Canada  this  year  will  be  much  greater  than  ever  before.'' 

All  this — Avhile  we  have  lying  idle  almost  80.000,000  acres  of  land 
far  superior  in  fertility  to  that  of  Canada.  Furthermore — to  quote 
from  Mr.  White's  Report — these  men  and  their  families  have  mostly 
been  taken  from  the  farmers  of  the  central  and  western  states.  They 
come  to  lands  that  may  be  tilled  similarly  to  the  lands  they  have  worked 
for  years,  and  they  go  to  Canadian  farms  educated  and  graduated  from 
a  school — the  teachings  of  which  fit  them  in  every  way  for  their  larger 
sphere  of  operations  in  Canada. 

Forty  acres  of  reclaimed  swamp  are  ample  to  support  a  family,  and 
this  area,  or  less,  will  eventually  be  the  farm  unit  in  swamp  countries. 
The  desire  of  the  farmer  to  possess  all  the  land  within  sight  will  pass 
away. 

Nothing  in  all  the  value  of  agriculture  economics  is  more  thoroughly 
settled  than  the  i)rinciple  of  the  small  farm  and  intensive  cultivation. 

A  tract  of  80,000,000  acres — divided  into  10  acre  farms — means 
2,000,000  farms.  If  the  average  farmer's  family  has  |?>50  a  year  ta 
s])end.  the  total  annual  purchasing  price  of  all  these  would  be  nearly 
1700.000,000. 

Swam]t  land  that  will  not  make  a  gross  return  of  |50  per  acre  annu- 
ally is  very  poor. 

With  here  and  there  an  exception,  sw^amp  lands  contain  the  best 
agricultural  soil  of  the  continent.  They  are  the  catch  basin  of  all  the 
silt,  organic  debris,  and  every  other  crop-spur  that  is  swept  from  the 
lands  above  them. 

The  Dutch  created  a  kingdom  by  diking  off  the  ocean  and  draining 
the  land. 

Prof.  Shaler  stated  that  the  reclaimed  marsh  lands  of  England.  Scot- 
land and  Ireland  aggregated  one-fifth  of  the  present  area  devoted  to 
farming,  and  that  one-twentieth  of  all  the  agricultural  lands  of  Europe 
was  once  too  wet  for  cultivation. 

Great  areas  have  been  drained  in  the  T'nited  States,  but  in  compari- 
son with  the  total  reclaimable  territory,  they  constitute  but  a  small  pro- 
portion.    In  drainage  we  are  several  centuries  behind  the  times. 

The  National  Irrigation  Congress  at  Chicago,  in  December,  1011.  con- 
cerned itself  mainly  with  the  inauguration  of  a  campaign  to  accomplish 


75 

the  drainage  of  the  United  States'  vast  swamp  area, — such  a  campaign 
as  resulted  in  the  creation  of  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service, 
and  the  awakening  of  the  conntry  to  the  possibilities  of  irrigation, 
which,  in  the  last  twenty  years,  have  remade  the  far  west. 

Of  the  unreclaimed  80,000,000  acres  of  swamp  area — 4,400,000  acres 
are  to  be  found  in  our  own  Michigan ;  only  five  other  states  possess  a 
larger  area, — Florida,  Louisiana,  Mississii)pi,  Arkansas  and  Minnesota. 

The  largest  drainage  project  ever  undertaken  in  the  United  States 
under  private  auspices  has  been  initiated  in  the  Upper  Peninsula  of 
Michigan.  When  completed  it  will  throw  on  the  market  for  cultivation 
nearly  a  million  acres  of  the  richest  black  muck  soil  to  be  found  in  the 
State. 

The  lands  affected  by  this  huge  drainage  lie  in  the  counties  of  Chip- 
pewa, Luce,  and  Schoolcraft,  and  today  comprise  the  greatest  swamp  in 
Michigan. 

In  draining  this  great  ''dismal  swamp"  two  natural  river  courses  Avill 
be  utilized — the  Taquameuon,  made  famous  by  Longfellow's  "Hiawatha," 
and  the  ^Nlanistique — given  a  ])lace  in  literature  bv  Stewart  Edward 
White's  "Blazed  Trail." 

A  half  million  of  acres  of  land  will  be  eventually  gridironed  by  the 
Manistique  and  its  lateral  branches. 

Irrigation  on  a  small  scale,  has  been  recently  attempted  in  Michigan. 

Mr.  Storrs  of  Muskegon, — irrigated  three-quarters  of  an  acre  under 
glass,  last  fall,  and  is  preparing  to  extend  the  system  to  embrace  one 
and  a  half  acres  the  coming-  season. 

It  requires  27,000  gallons  of  water  to  equal  an  inch  of  rainfall  an 
acre,  and  as  Mr.  Storrs  can  pump  2,000  gallons  an  hour,  he  can  equal  a 
heavy  rainfall  by  working  his  irrigation  plant  one  day  and  night. 

If  land  can  be  successfully  irrigated  for  flOO  an  acre,  there  will  be 
thousands  of  acres  irrigated  in  a  very  short  time, — as  irrigation  would 
be  absolutely  sure  of  a  good  crop  every  year. 

Other  and  cheaper  plans  of  irrigation  may  be  developed,  and  may  al- 
ready exist ;  it  is  well  worth  the  careful  consideration  and  investigation 
of  fruit  and  truck  farmers,  if  the  expenditure  of  a  few  hundred  dollars 
may  lead  to  the  making  of  thousands. 

Of  water  power  much  has  been  heard  recently ;  not  long  ago  of  small 
interest  to  the  public,  it  is  now  one  of  greatest  interest  to  the  user  and 
promoter,  and  to  connnunities.  States,— even  the  Nation.  All  the  world 
has  awakened  to  the  realization  that  water  powers  are  of  incalculable 
importance  to  the  well-being  of  nmnkind,  because  they  represent  the 
future  imperishable  source  of  power  f(n'  industrial  and  domestic  activi- 
ties. 

Among  the  many  phases  of  the  subject  in  which  every  one  should  be 
concerned,  the  most  resourceful  utilization  of  water-power  may  be  ac- 
corded the  first  place;  here — as  everywhere  in  the  industrial  arts  and 
activities — the  ideal  of  mere  achievement  must  be  supplemented  and 
guided  by  ideals  of  scientific  economy — by  principles  of  efiiciency. 

Three  important  factors  must  generally  be  made  the  best  of — for  any 
specific  case — in  order  to  secure  the  most  resourceful  utilization  of  a 
waterpower.     These  prime  elements  of  the  problem  are : 

First, — The  efficient  and  economical  development  of  the  available 
power  resources. 


76 

Second, — Conservation    of   tiood-flow. 

Third. — Auxilliary  power  supplement. 

In  1008 — according  to  the  U.  S.  Censns  Bnreau  there  were  developed 
in  the  United  States  5,356,680  horse  power  from  water. 

By  primary  horse-power  is  meant  the  amount  which  can  be  developed 
npon  the  basis  of  the  flowage  of  the  streams  for  a  period  of  two  weeks 
when  the  flow  is  the  least.  According  to  the  table — if  all  the  installa- 
tions in  the  U.  S.  were  made  to  nse  as  much  of  the  water  as  is  available 
the  lowest  two  weeks  of  the  year,  and  allow  all  the  rest  to  escape  with- 
out use — there  would  be  developed  36,906,200  horse  power;  that  is — 
approximately  seven  times  the  amount  now  produced.  The  primary 
power — according  to  McGee, — ''exceeds  our  entire  mechanical  power 
now  in  use,  and  would  drive  every  spindle,  operate  every  mill,  propel 
every  train  and  boat,  and  light  every  city,  town  and  village  in  the 
country.'' 

While  this  is  true, — because  of  the  limited  distance  that  power  can 
be  economically  transmitted,  it  cannot  be  concluded  that  power  pro- 
duced by  water  can  be  more  than  partially  substituted  for  power  pro- 
duced in  other  ways. 

If  wheels  were  put  into  the  streams  sufficient  to  use  the  water  the 
highest  six  mouths  of  the  year,  there  would  be  more  than  66,449,300 
horse-power  developed.  Leighton  believes  that  if  the  flood  waters  were 
stored  so  that  the  streams  were  as  fully  utilized  as  practicable,  it  would 
be  possible  to  develop  in  the  U.  8.-200,000,000  horse-power.  Others 
regard  this  estimate  as  too  high,  and  say  that  100,000,000  horse-power 
is  nearer  the  truth.  But  even  the  smaller  amount  will  furnish  sufficient 
power  from  water  to  meet  the  needs  of  this  nation  for  all  purposes,  when 
the  population  of  the  U.  S.  is  250,000,000. 

When  a  century  or  two  hence  the  amount  of  coal  has  become  much 
diminished,  in  quantity,  and  has  become  higher  in  price,  none  may  esti- 
mate the  importance  to  the  nation  of  this  water-power.  Certain  it  is, 
that  in  the  future,  he  who  controls  this  100,000,000  or  200,000,000 
horse-power,  controls  the  industries  of  the  nation. 

Until  very  recently  the  development  of  water-power  was  slow,  and  the 
installations  small.  This  was  because  it  was  necessary  to  use  the  power 
derived  from  water  near  its  source;  but  with  the  rapid  development  of 
the  transmission  of  energy  through  electricity,  the  radius  of  a  water- 
power  has  steadily  increased.  At  the  present  time,  power  in  California 
is  transmitted  more  than  200  miles,  and  in  the  case  of  the  Central  Colo- 
rado Power  Compau}' — 300  miles. 

Where  such  long  distance  transmission  is  practiced,  the  rates  that  are 
charged  are  necessarily  somewhat  high.  It  is  doubtful  if  power  can  be 
carried  such  distances  as  these  in  competition  with  power  developed 
from  cheap  coal. 

If  we  suppose  that  the  average  of  the  present  economic  use  of  water 
were  only  100  miles — a  water-power — if  sufficient  to  do  this — could  serve 
more  than  31,400  square  miles — or  nearly  the  area  of  Connecticut, 
Rhode  Island,  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  and  Vermont.  A  radius 
of  200  miles  would  give  an  area  of  more  than  125,000  square  miles — or 
more  than  the  states  of  Georgia  and  Wisconsin — or  more  than  any  one 
state  in  the  union  save  California,  Montana,  and  Texas. 


77 

A  radius  of  300  miles  would  give  a  subject  territory  of  270,000  square 
miles — or  nearly  one-tenth  of  the  United  States. 

The  development  of  water-power  is  a  factor  of  prime  importance  in 
obtaining  leadership  in  the  manufacturing  industries  of  the  world. 

There  is  no  other  large  nation  in  a  more  favorable  position  as  to  avail- 
able water  powers  than  the  United  States.  This  great  source  of  energy 
— by  its  cheapness — is  a  factor  of  prime  importance  in  the  industrial 
competition  in  the  world. 

For  light,  electricity  developed  by  water  is  the  ideal  solution  of  the 
problem ;  and  not  many  years  can  elapse  before  light  will  be  produced 
from  water-power  wherever  such  energy  is  available  within  reasonable 
distances. 

At  the  present  time  in  the  United  States,  26,000.000.  horse  power  is 
developed  by  coal.  It  is  believed  by  Leighton.  that  15,000,000  horse- 
power could  be  more  economically  developed  by  water,  although  he 
does  not  hold  that  the  substitution  to  this  extent  can  take  place  at  once, 
nor  that  every  unit  of  it  will  give  an  economic  advantage.  But  he  be- 
lieves that — under  existing  conditions — with  the  present  price  of  coal, 
at  a  fair  rate  of  interest  upon  the  capitalization,  this  substitution  on  the 
average  would  give  an  economic  advantage  of  $12  per  annum  per  horse 
power,  or  |180,000,000  a  year. 

But  this  is  not  the  most  important  saving.  Every  time  one  horse 
power  is  developed  by  Avater  which  is  now  produced  by  coal,  at  least 
ten  tons  of  coal  are  saved;  and  therefore,  if  the  15,000,000  horse  power 
developed  bv  coal  be  produced  by  water,  there  will  be  saved  each  year 
150,000,000  tons  of  coal  in  addition  to  the  |1S0,000,000  gained  by  sub- 
stitution. This  is  about  one-third  of  the  output  of  the  United  States, 
and  this  alone  will  greatly  lengthen  its  life.  The  term  "White  Coal''  for 
water-power  is  certainly  appropriate. 

Switzerland  is  likely  to  be  the  first  country  to  gain  fully  the  enor- 
mous advantages  which  come  from  the  utilization  of  "white  coal.''  There 
the  national  government  has  been  granted  authority  to  control  the  water 
for  power. 

In  order  that  power  from  water  be  satisfactory  and  effective,  the  de- 
veloped streams  should  maintain  a  uniform  flow.  A  very  important 
factor  in  accomplishing  this  is  the  retaining  of  forests  at  the  headwaters 
of  the  stream. 

But  the  maintenance  of  the  forests  is  not  sufficient  to  equalize  stream 
flow.  Hence  it  is  necessary  to  supplement  forests  b^'  reservoirs — at  the 
head  waters  of  the  streams— which  will  hold  and  store  the  excess  of 
storm  waters  until  they  can  be  utilized. 

The  Niagara  and  the  Deschutes  are  given  as  illustrations  of  nearly 
ideal  conditions  for  water  power  furnished  by  nature  itself.  The  maxi- 
mum floAv  of  the  Niagara  is  about  35  per  cent  more  than  the  minimum, 
as  compared  with  ordinary  streams,  this  is  a  wonderful  approach  to- 
ward uniformity. 

The  Deschutes,  Avith  all  of  its  numerous  western  branches  rises  in  the 
lofty  plateau  and  high  mountains  of  the  Cascade  range,  and  has  a  drain- 
age area  of  nearly  9,000  square  miles,  it  has  a  fall — from  where  it  is 
large  enough  to  be  used  for  water  power — to  its  mouth  of  over  3,000 
feet.  The  waterpower  sites  of  this  stream  are  all  within  100  miles  of 
Portland. 


78 

Reservoii'  systems  have  been  established  iu  the  arid  regions — in  the 
I'])])ei'  ]\rississippi  Yallev.  and  in  the  northeastern  part  of  tlie  I'nited 
States. 

It  is  therefore  natural  that  in  the  western  region — where  water  is  so 
valuable,  and  where  its  nse  is  so  necessary,  not  only  for  water  power, 
but  for  irrigation — that  extensive  reservoir  systems  should  have  been 
constructed  to  save  the  storm  waters.  Many  millions  of  dollars  have 
been  si)ent  in  the  West  for  this  purpose,  both  by  i)rivate  parties  and  by 
the  government,  primarily  with  reference  to  irrigation,  and  subordi- 
nately  with  reference  to  water  ])owers. 

In  order  that  reservoirs  shall  be  effective,  it  is  necessary  that  forests 
be  ])reserved  on  the  headquarters  of  the  streams  feeding  them.  Thus 
the  maintenance  of  uniform  flow,  and  the  controlling  of  floods  does  not 
dc]»end  upon  forests  alone,  nor  upon  reservoirs  alone;  it  can  be  success- 
fully solved  only  by  their  combination. 

The  question  of  the  value  of  v.'ater  power  is  a  complicated  one,  and  no 
general  statement  can  be  made  which  a])i)lies  to  the  country  as  a  whole. 

The  value  of  a  power  depends  upon  the  cost  of  construction  per  horse 
power  developed,  distance  to  market,  nature  of  the  market,  and  many 
other  factors. 

The  XeAv  York  Water  Power  Commission  estimates  a  saving  over 
steam  in  the  state  of  New  York  by  the  development  of  additional  ])ower 
through  reservoirs  at  |12  per  annum.  If  upon  the  average  we  estimate 
this  saving  for  the  country  as  a  Avhole,  at  one  half  of  this — or  fO  per 
horse  power  per  annum,  (and  this  seems  conservative)  the  w^ealth  gained 
each  year  by  the  substitution  is  five  times  the  number  of  horse  power 
used.  For  the  5,000,000  horse  power  now  developed,  this  would  be  a 
saving  of  |80,000,000  a  year,  which,  if  capitalized  at  five  ])er  cent,  would 
re])resent  a  value  of  .'$(;i)0,000,000. 

If  15.000,000  additional  horse  ])0wer  were  substituted  for  steam  power 
— and  this  is  likely  to  be  ]>ossib]e  in  the  near  future — this  would  result 
in  an  annual  saving  of  |!»0,0(I0.()()().  which  would  give  a  five  per  cent 
income  on  |1,S00,000,000.  These  figures  are  presented  to  show  that  even 
on  the  most  conservative  basis — making  all  the  assumptions  as  to  the 
saving  being  a  minimum — very  large  ex])enditures  are  justified  in  the 
develoi)ment  of  the  reservoir  system  of  the  country,  even  for  the  purpose 
of  water  ])ower  alone,  without  any  ccuisideration  of  the  other  benefits 
Avhii-li  may  come  from  the  development  of  storage  reservoirs. 

The  ])rofits  from  water  ])ower  have  resulted  in  the  rapid  extension  of 
hydro-electric  installations.  The  census  bureau  estimates  that  during 
tiie  years  1000  to  1905  the  increase  of  electric  power  was  370  per  cent 
— of  which  much  the  larger  ]>art  unquestionably  has  come  from  water. 

Other  benefits   from   the  develoi)ment   of  reservoirs  are  not  less  im- 
jmrtant  than  for  ])owers.     Some  of  these  are  the  improvement  of  navi-- 
gallon,  reduction  of  flood  losses,  decrease  in  denudation,  and  irrigation. 
Water  jiowers  should  be  controlled  by  the  ])ublic; 

The  North  American  Conservation  ronference  of  1009 — composed  of 
conunissioners  from  the  United  States,  IMexico,  Canada  and  New  Found- 
land  agreed  unanimously  u])on  the  princi])les  which  should  obtain  as  to 
the  control  <»f  water-])owers. 

"We   regard    the   monopoly   of    waters," — said     the    commissioners — 


79 

^'aud  especially  the  monopoly  of  water-power,  as  peculiarly  tlireateuiiig. 
'So  rights  to  the  use  of  water-powers  in  streams  should  hereafter  be 
granted  in  perpetuity. 

"Each  grant  should  be  conditioned  upon  prompt  development — con- 
tinued beneficial  use — and  the  payment  of  proper  compensation  to  the 
public  for  the  rights  enjoyed,  and  should  be  for  a  definite  period  only. 
Such  a  period  should  be  no  longer  than  is  ro(]uired  for  reasonable  safety 
of  investment.  The  public  authority  should  retain  the  right  to  readjust 
— at  stated  periods  the  compensation  to  the  public,  and  to  regulate  the 
rates  charged,  to  the  end  that  undue  profit  and  extortion  may  be  pre- 
vented. 

"Where  the  construction  of  works  to  utilize  water  has  been  authorized 
by  ])ublic  authority,  and  such  utilization  is  necessary  for  the  public 
welfare,  provision  should  be  made  for  the  ex])loitation  of  all  privately 
owned  lands  and  water  rights  required  for  such  construction." 

The  principle  of  public  control  of  waters  was  more  concisely  expressed 
by  the  Fourth  Lakes-to-the-Gulf  Waterway  Convention  held  at  Xew 
Orleans, — in  1909, — to  which  convention  there  were  over  500  accredited 
delegates,  representing  forty-six  states  of  the  Union,  and  including  a 
majority  of  the  governors,  the  President  and  Vice  President  of  the 
United  States,  several  members  of  the  Cabinet,  and  a  large  number  of 
senators  and  representatives. 

The  representatives  of  the  convention  declared  "that  the  waters  be- 
long to  the  people,  and  maintain  that  this  right  of  the  people  is  in- 
herent, and  indefensible,  and  while  recognizing  the  necessity  for  ad- 
ministering this  invaluable  i)ossession  of  the  people  by  state  and  federal 
agencies — each  within  its  appropriate  jurisdiction — we  deny  the  right 
of  nnmici]»alities,  or  of  state  and  federal  governments  to  alienate  or 
convey  water  by  perpetual  franchises,  or  without  just  consideration  in 
the  interests  of  the  people." 

The  same  declaration  of  principles  was  made  by  the  First  National 
Conservation  Congress  at  Seattle,  and  the  Seventeenth  National  Irriga- 
tion Congress  at  Spokane — both  held  in  1909. 

What  is  the  fundamental  principle  upon  which  these  declarations  are 
based?  Simply  this;  that  a  resource  which  originated  from  a  wide  area 
— but  is  available  at  a  certain  point— is  the  property  of  all  the  people 
concerned. 

Herbert  Knox  Smith — Connnissioner  of  Corporations — states  that  al- 
ready a  large  proportion  of  the  water  powers — especially  the  best  and 
largest  ones — are  owned  by  a  few  corporations.  He  says  that  the  Gen- 
eral Electric  Company  controls  at  least  2.")0,000  horse  power,  and  partly 
controls  120.000  more;  that  the  Westinghouse  Company  controls  abso- 
lutely.— ISIMIOO  horse  power,  and  partly  controls  100.000  additional; 
that  eleven  other  companies  control  875.000  horse  power,  making  a  total 
in  the  control  of  thirteen  companies  of  1.825,000  horse  power,  or  more 
than  one-third  of  the  entire  development  of  the  United  States. 

"The  extent  to  which  the  control  of  such  plants  is  passing  into  the 
bands  of  a  few  of  the  larger  companies  is  also  well  illustrated  in  Cali- 
fornia, where  four  of  the  largest  companies  have  a  combined  capital  of 
|55.(lO().()0().  and  operate  30  hydro-electric  plants,  and  18  steam  plants. 
The  largest  of  these  companies  supplies  power  to  2G  individual  lighting 


80 

companies,  and  12  electric  railway  companies,  in  addition  to  a  number 
of  cities  and  towns  where  it  has  its  own  substations."' 

Gilford  Pinchot  says:  ''There  could  be  no  better  illustration  of  the 
eager,  rapid  miAvearied  absorption  by  capital  of  the  rights  which  belong 
to  all  the  people  than  the  water  power  trust.  Perlia])S  not  yet  formed, 
but  in  process  of  formation.  This  statement  is  true  but  not  unchal- 
lenged. 

"We  are  met  at  every  town  by  the  indigant  denial  of  the  water  power 
interests,  they  tell  us  that  there  is  no  community  of  interest  among 
them,  and  yet  they  appear  by  their  paid  attorneys — year  after  year — at 
irrigation  and  other  congresses,  asking  for  help  to  remove  the  few  re- 
maining obstacles  to  their  perpetual  and  complete  absorption  of  the  re- 
maining water  power. 

"They  tell  us  it  has  no  significance  that  there  is  hardly  a  bank  in  some 
sections  of  the  country  that  is  not  an  agency  for  water  power  capital, 
or  that  the  General  Electric  Company  is  acquiring  great  groups  of  water 
power  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  dominating  the  water 
power  market  in  the  region  of  each  group — and  whoever  dominates 
power,  dominates  all  industry.  Have  you  ever  seen  a  few  drops  of  oil 
scattered  on  the  water  spreading  until  they  formed  a  continuous  film, 
which  put  an  end  at  once  to  all  surface  agitation?  The  time  for  us  to 
agitate  this  question  is  now— before  the  separate  circles  of  centralized 
control  spread  into  the  uniform  unbroken,  nation-wide  covering  of  a 
single  gigantic  trust." 

The  waters  in  the  streams  belong  to  the  nation  and  to  the  states  ex- 
cept so  far  as  they  have  parted  control  with  them.  Hence  a  franchise 
tax  upon  the  companies  that  develop  power  belonging  to  the  states  is 
equitable  and  just. 

The  public  has  the  right  to  require  that  those  who  control  water  power 
resources  shall  develop  them  on  a  scale  sufficient  to  meet  the  needs  of 
the  people. 

Without  public  control,  water  power  sites  may  be  acquired  and  held 
indefinitely  without  development — the  purpose  being  to  prevent  the  com- 
petition of  others,  or  to  gain  monopoly  for  the  district. 

An  additional  reason  for  public  control  is  public  safety.  I  need  only 
to  call  your  attention  to  the  Johnstown  and  Austin  disasters — which  re- 
sulted from  the  breaking  of  dams  too  weak  to  hold  back  the  waters  at 
the  time  of  a  fiood. 

The  United  States  Forest  Service  is  granting  water  power  concessions 
in  the  national  forests  under  a  series  of  elaborate  i)rovisions,  which  com- 
prise the  application  of  the  principles  advocated  by  the  North  Ameri- 
can Conservation  Conference. 

It  is  apparent  that  since  the  movement  for  conservation  began  years 
ago,  there  has  been  an  astonishing  development  of  ])ublic  sentiment  in 
reference  to  the  control  of  water  i)Ower  in  the  United  States,  and  that 
the  expression  of  public  sentiment  has  resulted  in  i)utting  into  operation 
jn-inciples  which  have  been  advocated  by  the  various  conservation  con- 
gresses and  associations.  Already  Ave  have  in  force  the  principle  that 
water  power  develoi)ed  by  the  government  may  be  subject  to  a  proper 
charge.  We  have  the  question  raised  as  to  Avhether  water  power  de- 
veloped by  private  parties  upon  navigable  streams  in  the  United  States 
may  be  subject  to  a  franchise  charge. 


81 

We  have  all  the  limitations  recoimiiended  by  the  North  American  Con- 
servation Conference  imposed  upon  the  development  of  water  power  in 
the  national  forests.  Finally,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  has  with- 
drawn from  private  entry  all  water  power  sites  which  still  remain  a 
part  of  the  public  domain,  and  recommends  to  Congress  that  these  be 
permanently  held  by  the  United  States  so  that  they  may  be  forever  the 
property  of  the  people. 

Mr.  A.  C.  Carton — secretary  of  the  Public  Domain — states  that  there 
is  developed — up  to  date — in  Michigan  approximately  221,000  H.  P. — 
which  is  included  in  6G2  developed  powers  using  1,580  water  wheels  of 
an  average  of  140  H.  P.  per  wheel,  which  is  20  H.  P.  per  wheel  larger 
than  the  average  installation  in  Maine — a  prominent  water  power  state. 
The  use  of  this  water  power  means  a  saving  of  upwards  of  two  million 
tons  of  coal  per  year.  If  the  other  300,000  H.  P.  used  in  Michigan — 
exclusive  of  railroad  locomotives — were  changed  to  water,  the  saving  to 
the  coal  supply  would  be  five  and  one-half  million  tons  annually,  the 
value  of  which,  after  deducting  20  per  cent  allowance  for  power  not  sus- 
ceptible to  conversion  to  water  power,  would  be  a  saving  for  which  there 
is  no  draft  to  be  charged  to  any  natural  resource — of  4,400,000  tons  of 
coal,  worth  approximately  |13,200,000.00. 

Computing  the  value  of  44,000  H.  P.  water  output,  for  which  there 
now  exists  a  demand  that  can  be-  supplied  at  the  moderate  price  of  |12 
— the  excess  cost  of  steam  over  water  power — we  have  the  startling  sum 
of  $5,200,000.00  excess  expense  which  the  people  of  Michigan  are  annu- 
ally paying  for  the  privilege  of  depleting  the  coal  resources  of  the 
country. 

The  available  water  supply  of  the  State  still  undeveloped  depends 
somewhat  on  the  methods  that  obtain  in  coming  years  in  utilizing  it  to 
its  fullest  extent.  The  best  authorities  hold  that  the  storage  reservoirs 
in  the  Lower  Peninsula  are — with  few  exceptions — unfeasible.  If  such 
were  not  the  case  it  would  be  possible  to  greatly  augment  the  volume  of 
water  power  by  a  storage  of  water  during  the  flood  time,  and  using  it 
when  the  flood  is  reduced,  thereby  maintaining  an  average  much  above 
that  by  which  the  capacity  of  the  streams  must  now  necessarily  be 
gauged. 

The  small  streams  will  eventually  be  brought  into  use  to  the  last  horse 
power.  A  stream  that  will  develop  even  50  H.  P.  will  be  connected  by  a 
wire  with  a  trunk  line  of  some  larger  development, — or  a  half-dozen 
small  streams  may  be  harnessed  together  to  make  one  power — by  a 
simple  running  of  wire. 

A  careful  estimate  would  place  the  still  undeveloped  power  of  the 
State  somewhere  around  400,000  H.  P.  At  the  present  time  the  de- 
velopment is  not  up  to  demand,  but  the  rate  at  which  it  is  increasing 
would  indicate  that  within  ten  years  it  Avill  be  possible  to  convert  75 
per  cent  of  the  present  steam  powers  of  the  State  to  water  power,  and 
that  the  power  development  would  no  doubt  keep  pace  with  the  indus- 
trial needs.  On  the  basis  of  the  present  conditions,  and  assuming  that 
this  estimate  of  available  power  is  correct,  the  water  power  of  this 
State  will  eventually  save  more  than  12,000,000  tons  of  coal  annually, 
the  value  of  which  would  be  in  excess  of  140,000,000.00,  and  a  saving 
of  the  coal  supplj'  through  the  difference  in  cost  of  generating  steam 
11 


82 

power  and  water  power  would  be  about  |1G,000,000.00  per  rear  in  this 
State  alone. 

One  of  the  great  difficulties  in  the  wav  of  development  of  the  water 
powers  of  the  State  is  that  of  securing  in  the  flowage  right  on  an  equit- 
able basis.  In  many  cases  these  rights  have  been  picked  for  a  mere  trifle, 
in  other  cases  individual  owners  of  possibly  only  a  few  acres — have  at- 
tempted to  extort  exorbitant  prices  for  these  rights,  and  in  some  cases 
have  succeeded.  On  the  other  hand,  the  possession  of  flowage  rights  of 
any  power  site  held  in  fee  simple,  or  under  option,  have  put  the  holders 
in  a  position  to  prevent  development  by  any  other  interests,  and  have 
thus  forced  the  board  of  supervisors  to  grant  permits  to  dam  under 
terms  far  short  of  protecting  the  county.  An  illustration  of  the  first 
proposition  is  Houghton  county,  where  local  business  men,  desirous  of 
developing  the  power  of  Sturgeon  River  for  general  use  in  the  county 
— where  it  is  much  needed — secured  nine-tenths  of  the  flowage  rights, 
and  were  then  held  up  by  interests  owning  the  other  one-tenth,  who 
demanded  five-sixths  of  tlie  whole  for  relinquishing  their  one-tenth. 
Naturally  this  put  an  end  to  all  negotiations,  with  the  result  that  the 
county  is  the  sufferer. 

These  conditions  seem  to  indicate  that  equity  would  demand  for  water 
power  companies  the  right  of  eminent  domain,  but  a  law  to  that  effect 
having  been  passed  in  1887 — and  afterwards  declared  unconstitutional 
— and  no  change  having  been  made  in  the  new  constitution — the  legisla- 
ture is  helpless  to  offer  any  relief  for  this  situation,  which,  as  much  as 
anything  else  is  retarding  the  development  of  water  power  in  this  State. 

Under  the  new  proposition  of  transmitting  electricity  as  high  as  200 
miles,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  local  industrial  development  in  re- 
mote counties  will  be  to  any  great  extent  advanced  by  the  development 
of  their  water  power. 

The  Eastern  Michigan  Power  Company — operating  on  the  Au  Sable 
River — now  has  nearly  200  townshij)  rights,  and  the  right  of  way  into 
such  cities  as  Saginaw,  Bay  City,  Owosso  and  Flint,  with  the  eventual 
terminal  at  Detroit. 

Trunk  lines  of  this  company  for  transmission  of  electricity  will  indi- 
cate the  highest  standard  of  conductivity  and  insulation. 

Michigan  will  soon  become  the  scene  of  the  largest  government  experi- 
ment in  the  ownership  and  sale  of  waterpower.  The  secretary  of  war 
has  indicated  his  willingness  to  begin  negotiations  for  a  lease  with  the 
Michigan-Lake  Superior  Power  Comi)any  at  the  ''Soo''  whereby  that 
company  will  have  the  use  of  40,000  horse-power.  A  lease  has  already 
been  made  with  the  Edison  Soo  Company.  The  leases  Avill  be  for  30 
years,  and  during  their  life  the  government  may  impose  reasonable  regu- 
lations upon  the  users  of  the  ])Ower. 

It  is  understood,  however,  that  no  effort  will  be  made  by  the  govern- 
ment to  fix  the  maximum  price  at  which  power  may  be  sold  by  the  com- 
pany. 

At  Ann  Arbor  the  Easfern  Michigan  Edison  Company  has  begun  the 
construction  of  a  power  ]>lant  which  will  furnish  light  and  power  for 
Ann   Arbor,  Y])silanti,  Saline,  Wayne  and  Dearborn. 

"The  Commonwealth  IV)wer,  Railway  and  Light  Company  has  spent 
about  two  and  a  half  million  dollars  in  IMichigan  last  year,  and  will 
sj>end  about   as  much   more  this  year," — so  said  the  President  of  the 


83 

Commonwealth  Company  in  a  recent  interview.  "Our  greatest  work 
was  the  building  of  the  dam  on  the  An  Sable.  This  dam  is  now  com- 
pleted, the  machinery  is  all  placed,  and  the  plant  is  ready  for  operation 
• — generating  about  12,000  horsepower." 

'"We  have  built  our  feed  wires  on  steel  towers,  and  over  our  own  pri- 
vate right  of  way  from  the  Au  Sable, — by  way  of  Saginaw  and  Flint 
— a  distance  of  about  125  miles,  and  the  coming  year  will  extend  this  line 
through  Owosso  and  Charlotte  to  Battle  Creek — taking  advantage  of 
course,  of  some  construction  now  in.  This  line  will  carry  a  current  of 
140,000  volts,  and  will  be  the  only  line  with  such  capacity  in  the  world." 

"When  the  Grand  Rapids — Muskegon  Line  from  Croton  was  built, 
it  was  the  first  in  the  world  to  carry  a  current  of  100,000  volts,  but  there 
are  now  several  of  them  in  operation.  The  line  from  the  Au  Sable  will 
establish  a  new  high  mark,  and  we  haven't  the  slightest  doubt  of  its 
success." 

"Last  year  we  built  new  steam  power  plants  at  Kalamazoo,  and  in 
Grand  Rapids,  and  our  plans  for  the  coming  year  include  a  new  plant 
at  Battle  Creek — which,  with  steam  plants  at  Jackson,  Flint,  Pontiac 
and  Kalamazoo,  will  put  us  in  pretty  good  shape  in  that  territory." 

The  policy  which  Michigan — in  common  with  all  other  parts  of  the 
United  States — has  followed  regarding  water  powers,  has  lieen  that  of 
granting  them  freely  to  any  responsible  applicant.  No  attempt  has  been 
made  to  secure  for  the  public  any  regulation  of  charges  for  power,  or 
indeed,  to  secure  the  public  in  any  way. 

The  question  of  the  control  of  water  powers  is  further  complicated 
by  their  relation  to  the  industrial  development  of  the  State,  and  its  in- 
crease in  wealth  and  population. 

The  State,  therefore,  cannot  adopt  a  policy  which  will  check  industrial 
development,  even  though  it  should  promise  great  returns  in  the  future. 

Municipalities  themselves,  have  as  yet  given  little  attention  to  owner- 
ship and  operation  of  water  power  plants. 

The  city  of  Marquette  is,  however,  an  exception.  Some  years  ago  it  es- 
tablished a  power  on  Dead  River  for  the  purpose  of  lighting  the  city, 
and  furnishing  the  power  locally.  While  the  earlier  experiments  of  the 
company  were  not  at  all  times  encouraging,  the  confidence  and  i)er- 
sistency  of  the  advocates  of  the  plan  have  long  been  rewarded  with  com- 
plete success  with  the  result  that  from  this  comparatively  small  plant 
the  city — in  1908  received  a  net  revenue  of  |29,287.58  and  has  succeeded 
in  reducing  the  rate  to  private  consumers  far  below  the  charge  when  the 
electricity  was  generated  by  steam.  The  total  collections  for  light  and 
power  in  1908  were  $55,107.19, — of  which  the  city  paid  for  its  public 
lighting,  stone  crushing  and  other  purposes  for  which  it  required  power 
110.582.11.  For  electric  motors  owned  by  private  parties,  a  total  of 
365  actual  horse  power  was  used,  the  revenue  for  which  was  |4,590.53. 

An  interesting  development  of  the  inquiry  in  the  L^pper  Peninsula  re- 
sulted from  the  Victoria  mine  and  stamp  mill — which  is  operated  by 
water  power  from  the  Ontonagon  River.  By  an  unusual  type  of  equip- 
ment, the  fall  in  the  river  at  this  point  being  quite  strong,  the  water  is 
conducted  by  a  race  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  dam, — where  it 
pours  into  a  six-foot  stand-pipe  350  feet  deep,  and  by  the  siphon  prin- 
ciple, is  raised. 

The  force  of  the  descending  water  heats  the  air,  causing  compression. 


84 

and  greatly  augmeDting  the  power.  Compressed  air  is  used  in  the  opera- 
tion of  the  mine,  and  the  plan  is  admirably  suited  to  the  requirements 
of  Victoria. 

The  agitation  for  the  deep  water  way  canal  between  Saginaw  Bay 
and  Lake  Michigan — embodying  the  deepening  and  widening  of  the 
Grand.  Maple.  Shiawassee  and  Saginaw  Rivers — seems  to  be  worthy  of 
consideration  in  connection  with  the  report  of  the  undeveloped  water 
power  of  the  State. 

In  considering  this  waterway  for  transportation,  it  is  also  planned  to 
develop  some  50,000  horse  power,  and  make  it  available  for  transmission 
— which  will  bring  in  an  annual  revenue  of  1600.000. 

It  is  estimated  that  by  the  construction  of  this  waterway,  29.150  acres 
of  swamp  land  will  be  reclaimed. 

The  construction  of  the  proposed  water  way  will  forever  remove  all 
danger  to  property  along  the  proposed  route,  and  throughout  the  entire 
water-shed  thereof,  from  flood;  a  loss  which — during  the  last  five  years 
— has  averaged  over  one  million  dollars  a  jear. 

Michigan  has  contributed  more  than  her  share  to  the  mills  and  manu- 
facturies  of  other  states,  and  if  the  power  in  her  streams  can  be  utilized 
to  increase  her  own  manufacturing  interest,  the  quicker  the  better  such 
utilization  becomes  a  settled  fact. 

Now  as  to  the  development  of  our  Internal  Waterways. 

Hand  in  hand  with  the  development  of  our  natural  resources  must  go 
the  development  of  our  great  waterways  and  railroads,  since  they  are 
the  connecting  links  which  make  our  resources  available. 

Easy  conveyance  for  men  and  commodities  from  one  place  to  another 
tends  to  make  a  nation  great,  and  prosperous,  and  powerful.  For 
transportation  is  production.  We  have  not  actually  finished  the  produc- 
tion of  anything  until  we  have  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the  consumer. 

Failure  to  develop  our  internal  waterways  may  mean  loss  to  the 
United  States  of  Supremacy  on  the  American  continent,  and  corres- 
ponding advance  in  Canada.  Eternal  vigilance  is  still  a  necessity,  and 
we  must  give  prompt  attention  to  the  opportunities  for  bringing  the  vast 
inland  farm  areas  close  to  the  sea  board. 

Charles  Sefton  of  Canada  says  that  the  Dominion  owes  its  existence 
to  its  waterways;  he  said  ''Canada  has  expended  upon  the  improvement 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  channel,  the  St.  Lawrence.  Welland  and  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  canal  for  construction  and  maintenance, — $116,000,000 — about 
one-third  of  the  Canadian  National  debt.  You  will  thus  have  some  idea 
of  the  importance  which  we  attach  to  our  waterways,  and  the  strength 
of  the  determination  that  everything  ])ossible  shall  be  done  to  bring 
them  to  the  highest  degree  of  etticiency.'' 

The  near  approach  of  the  completion  of  the  Panama  ( 'anal  is  a  factor 
in  the  national  importance  of  this  subject.  We  hojie  that  the  surplus 
products  of  Central  and  South  America  will  find  their  way  into  the 
interior  of  the  country  by  means  of  water  transportation,  and  furnish 
a  basis  upon  which  we  may  build  up — through  the  natural  operations  of 
reciprocity  in  trade — a  market  in  those  countries  for  machinery  and 
other  manufactured  goods  of  this  country. 

The  largest  inland  cities  of  the  United  States  are  in  two  grand  divi- 
sions— which  might  be  called  transportation  groups;  they  are  either  on 
the  Great  Lakes,  or  on  the  Mississippi  Kiver  System.    The  Great  Lakes 


85 

have  never  had  a  ship  passage  to  the  sea ;  the  Mississippi  is  a  deep 
waterway  from  five  to  seven  months  in  a  year,  and  it  has  given  passage 
to  a  war  vessel  for  1,200  miles. 

There  is  no  reason  why  ships  should  not  come  up  as  far  as  Memphis. 
Not  only  do  these  inland  cities  lack  an  outlet  to  the  sea,  but  the  two 
waterway  systems  have  not  been  given  adequate  connection  with  each 
other. 

The  iron  ore  is  on  the  Lakes,  and  the  coal  is  on  the  river,  and  yet 
there  is  not  a  way  in  this  a*|je  of  steel  for  the  ore  boat  to  get  to  the  coal. 

Our  wheat  must  go  abroad — or  at  least  to  the  Atlantic  sea  board — and 
yet  the  big  lake  vessels  cannot  keep  on  with  it  to  either  place. 

The  far  seeing  DeWitt  Clinton  looked  eastward  in  the  early  twenties, 
and  even  then  wanted  the  government  to  build  a  canal  from  Lake  Michi- 
gan to  the  Mississippi  as  a  western  extension  to  the  Erie  Canal. 

The  iron  ore  comes  from  the  upper  lake  region  and  stops  midway  of 
Lake  Erie  where  it  takes  the  cars  for  the  overland  trip  to  Pittsburg. 
The  wheat  keeps  on  to  the  end  of  the  lake  at  Buft'alo,  where  it  finds  the 
Erie  Canal  and  the  railroads  competing  for  the  haul  to  New  York.  The 
wheat  comes  in  big  loads  from  Duluth,  which  is  the  natural  "Funnel" 
to  the  hard  wheat  regions  of  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas.  The  territory 
containing  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Mississippi  Valley  is  really  Amer- 
ica— the  vast  treasure-house  continent. 

Here  is  the  granary  of  the  country — the  alluvial  cotton  tracts  to 
which  Europe  is  beholden — the  raw  material  of  the  age  of  steel,  and 
the  food  of  its  enginery.  And  yet  it  is  virtually  a  land-locked  treasure- 
house.  The  lakes  are  the  home  of  imprisoned  fleets,  and  the  railroads 
hold  the  key. 

The  inland  waterways  of  the  Union  comprise  about  25,000  miles  of 
navigable  rivers.  A  nearly  equal  mileage  of  streams  can  be  made  navi- 
gable by  the  improvement  of  their  channels,  and  the  regulation  of  the 
flow  of  their  waters.  Further  we  have  the  five  Great  Lakes  with  a  com- 
bined length  of  1,410  miles,  and  2,120  miles  of  operated  canals.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  rivers,  lakes  and  canals,  there  are  2,400  miles  of  sounds, 
bays,  and  bayous  capable  of  being  converted  by  means  of  connecting 
canals — aggregating  less  than  1,000  miles  in  length — into  a  continuous 
and  safe  inner  route  for  the  coastwise  traffic  of  the  xltlantic  and  Gulf. 
These  combined  waterways,  rivers,  canals,  lakes  and  coastal  channels, 
have  an  aggregate  length  of  between  55,000  and  60,000  miles,  and  are 
better  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  people  than  those  of  any  other  coun- 
try. In  extent,  distribution,  navigability  and  ease  of  use,  they  stand 
first;  yet,  as  President  Roosevelt  explained  in  a  message  of  February, 
1908,  to  the  Senate,  the  rivers  of  no  other  civilized  country  are  so  poorly 
developed,  so  little  used,  or  play  so  small  a  part  in  the  industrial  life 
of  the  nation,  as  those  of  the  United  States. 

It  is  a  fact  that  although  the  Federal  Government  has — ^in  the  last 
half  century — spent  more  than  a  third  of  a  billion  dollars  in  waterway 
improvement,  and  although  the  demand  for  transportation  has  steadily 
increased,  navigation  on  our  rivers  has  not  only  not  increased,  but  it 
has  actually  diminished.  So  for  instance  on  the  Mississippi,  for  which 
Congress — up  to  1907 — made  appropriations  amounting  to  |208,484,720. 
A  half  century  ago  the  traffic  on  this  greatest  of  all  natural  highways 
upon  the  globe  was  without  a  rival  in  any  country.     The  decline  of 


86 

uiivigatiou  ou  the  inland  waterways  is — as  the  "Inland  Waterways  Com- 
mission" reported — due  to  the  imregulated  railroad  competition  which 
l)revented  or  destroyed  the  development  of  water  traffic.  This  was 
done  by  keeping-  down  the  railroad-rates  along  the  rivers,  recouping 
themselves  elsewhere.  The  railroad  companies  drove  ont  commerce  by 
discriminating  tariffs,  by  rebates,  by  adverse  placement  of  tracks  and 
structures,  by  acquiring  Avater  fronts  and  terminals,  by  acquisition  or 
control  of  competing  canals  and  vessels,  and  by  many  other  means.  So 
the  railroads  have  secured  throughout  the  'country  the  control  of  the 
waterways,  and  prevent  their  use;  and  this,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
— at  periods  recurring  with  increasing  frequency — the  railroads  are 
utterly  unable  to  keep  pace  with  production,  or  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  transportation. 

In  the  Court  of  Commerce  Act.  Senator  Burton  of  Ohio — the  greatest 
authority  in  America  on  waterways — secured  the  incorporation  of  the 
following  amendment : 

"Whenever  a  carrier  by  railroad  shall — in  competition  with  a  water 
route  or  routes — reduce  the  rates  on  the  carriage  of  any  species  of 
freight  to  or  from  competitive  points,  it  shall  not  be  permitted  to  in- 
crease such  rates  unless,  after  hearing  by  the  Interstate  Commission  it 
shall  be  found  that  such  proposed  increase  rests  upon  changed  condi- 
tions other  than  the  elimination  of  water  competition." 

This  bit  of  legislation — occupying  six  lines  upon  our  statute  books — 
promises  to  do  more  to  rehabilitate  our  waterway  commerce  than  the 
expenditure  of  a  hundred  million  dollars  upon  our  rivers  and  harbors 
imder  the  conditions  which  have  prevailed  in  the  United  States.  For 
example — it  has  been  the  unbridled  railroad  competition,  and  not  the 
lack  of  a  channel — which  has  driven  commerce  from  the  Mississippi 
River. 

The  strict  enforcement  of  this  law  will  demonstrate  the  possibilities 
of  waterway  commerce  in  the  United  States  under  normal  conditions 
of  equal  competition. 

A  feature  of  European  Avaterway  control  which  the  United  States 
should  adopt  is  the  method  of  local  and  national  participation  in  im- 
provements. 

This  policy  prevails  particularly  in  France,  Germany,  and  Austria. 

In  France,  interested  localities  are  required  to  contribute  at  least  one- 
half  the  total  expenditure  for  the  construction  of  new  waterways.  The 
government  then  gives  to  the  contributing  localities  the  privilege  of 
levying  tolls  on  the  traffic  over  the  new  construction  to  reimburse  them- 
selves for  the  funds — principal  and  interest — so  advanced.  As  soon  as 
the  debt  and  interest  are  paid  the  right  to  collect  tolls  ceases  and  is  not 
renewed. 

In  Germany  the  cost  of  inland  harbors  is  usually  left  to  the  muni- 
ci|»alities,  corporations,  and  other  interested  parties,  who  also  own  the 
sheds,  warehouses,  and  docks.  For  the  construction  of  new  works  the 
jiiovinces  and  corporations  are  required  to  guarantee  the  cost  of  ad- 
ministration, working  and  maintenance,  and  also  to  guarantee  the 
yearly  three  ]ier  cent  interest  on  about  one-third  of  the  estimated  capi- 
tal, and  one-half  per  cent  to  the  sinking  fund  from  the  sixteenth  year 
onward. 


87 

From  a  practical  standpoint  the  g;reatest  handicap  under  which 
American  waterways  operate  is  the  hick  of  suitable  terminals. 

It  is  reliably  estimated  that  the  terminals  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Kailroad  at  Chicago  compare  in  value  with  all  of  its  line  to  New 
Orleans. 

The  Mississippi  River  is  a  typical  instance  of  the  lack  of  suitable 
waterway  terminals  and  machinery  for  loading  and  unloading  freight 
upon  American  waterways.  Along  this  river — except  at  New  Orleans 
— there  are  no  terminal  facilities.  The  river  boats  merely  run  their 
prows  into  the  banks  of  the  stream,  throw  out  a  gang  plank,  and  the 
freight  is  loaded  and  unloaded  by  men,  instead  of  by  the  rolling  elec- 
trical cranes  to  be  found  in  Europe — where  the  railroads  are  invariably 
located  on  terminals  of  waterwa.ys,  permitting  direct  transfer  between 
railroad  and  water  lines. 

The  docks  in  our  largest  cities  are  for  the  most  part  under  the  control 
of  railroads  which  refuse  to  share  their  use  with  waterway  companies. 

As  ex-president  Roosevelt  recently  said  in  a  public  speech  at  St.  Louis 
—"Control  your  waterway  terminals  or  the  railroads  will.  This  control 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  good  service  from  the  waterways." 

At  the  Conservation  Conference  at  St.  Paul,  Mr.  Roosevelt  also  de- 
clared that  ''In  nearly  every  river  city  from  St.  Paul  to  the  Gulf,  the 
water  front  is  controlled  by  the  railways.  Nearly  every  artificial  water- 
way in  the  T'nited  States  is — either  directly  or  indirectly — under  the 
same  control.  , 

"It  goes  without  saying  that  (unless  the  people  prevent  it  in  advance) 
the  railways  will  attempt  to  take  control  of  our  waterways  as  fast  as 
they  are  improved  and  completed;  nor  would  I  blame  them,  if  we — 
the  people — are  supine  in  the  matter.  We  must  see  to  it  that  adequate 
terminals  are  provided  in  every  city  and  town  on  every  improved  water- 
way— terminals  open  under  reasonable  conditions — to  the  use  of  every 
citizen,  and  rigidly  protected  against  monopoly;  and  we  must  compel 
the  railways  to  cooperate  with  the  water  ways  continuously,  effectively, 
and  under  reasonable  conditions. 

"Unless  we  do  so  the  railway  lines  will  refuse  to  deliver  freight  to 
the  boat  lines — either  openly  or  by  improving  prohibitory  conditions — 
and  the  waterways  once  improved  will  do  comparatively  little  for  the 
benefit  of  the  people  who  pay  the  bill. 

''Adequate  terminals — properly  controlled — and  open  through  lines 
by  rail  and  boat — are  two  absolutely  essential  conditions  to  the  useful- 
ness of  inland  waterway  development.  I  believe  furthermore,  that  the 
railways  should  be  prohibited  from  owning,  controlling,  or  carrying  any 
interest  in  the  boat  lines  on  our  rivers,  unless  under  the  strictest  regu- 
lation and  control  of  the  interstate  commerce  commission  so  that  the 
shippers  interests  may  be  fully  protested." 

A  developed  waterway'  that  is  navigable  is  a  rate  regulator,  which 
affects  both  the  producer  from  the  remotest  section  to  the  heart  of  the 
Nation.  It  has  been  estimated  that  it  costs  no  more  to  develop  tha 
average  stream  to  a  twelve  foot  channel,  than  to  build  a  railway  of  the 
same  mileage,  but  the  improved  stream  in  one  year's  time,  can  carry  a 
hundred  and  twenty-six  times  as  much  freight  as  can  be  carried  by 
rail,  and  at  one-sixth  the  cost. 

Seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  total  freight  commodities  originating  ofi 


88 

the  traffic  lines  in  the  United  States,  consists  of  heavy  raw  materials, 
the  staple  prodnctions  of  the  farms,  forests,  mines  and  live  stock  ranges 
of  the  interior.  These  are  commodities  wliere  economy  of  transporta- 
tion is  a  prime  essential  to  production. 

Tonnage  in  this  country  increases  six  times  as  fast  as  railway  facili- 
ties increase.  The  first  thrill  of  good  times  will  be  choked  into  depres- 
sion by  railway  paralysis — car  shortage — congested  terminals — lack  of 
motive  power — lack  of  trackage — and  the  old  story  of  1906-1907 — unless 
we  provide  some  wa}'  of  carrying  the  trade  of  this  wonderful  continent. 
An  incredible  amount  of  perishable  material — corn,  cotton,  and  wheat 
— is  destro3'ed  every  year  in  the  south  and  west  because  the  railways 
cannot  handle  it  with  dispatch.  A  proper  waterway  system  would 
enable  this  low-class  freight  to  be  promptly  carried  and  allow  the  rail- 
ways to  handle  high-class  freights. 

The  development  of  waterways  is  no  untried  experiment.  The  nations 
of  western  Europe  have  poured  out  billions  for  canals,  canalyzed  rivers, 
and  deepened  channels,  until  they  have  a  mile  of  waterway  for  every 
twenty-three  miles  of  land.  Their  products  get  into  the  world's  trade  at 
salt  water  with  a  freight  charge  less  than  one-tenth,  perhaps,  of  that 
which  our  railway-served  producers  have  to  pay.  This  is  one  reason  why 
we  are  making  no  more  rapid  progress  in  foreign  commerce;  and  if  we 
were  to  eliminate  our  foreign  trade  which  gets  to  the  sea  by  waterways 
our  progress  would  turn  into  a  decline.  And  not  only  Europe  is  show- 
ing us  the  way  in  such  matters,  but  the  South  American  competitors 
of  our  farmers  are  carrying  deep  water  closer  and  closer  to  the  farms. 
The  Parana — in  the  Argentine  wheat  districts,  has  been  deepened  for 
a  thousand  miles,  and  on  the  La  Plata — in  the  heart  of  the  wheat  dis- 
trict— Argentina  is  spending  $15,000,000  on  the  harbor  of  Rosario. 

The  South  Dakota  farmer — with  his  wheat-rate  of  $4.70  a  ton  to 
Chicago,  will  feel  this  when  the  pinch  of  hard  times  or  over-production 
conies. 

The  other  progressive  nations  of  the  world  regard  the  waterway  as 
a  sort  of  thumb  to  the  finger  of  the  railway — members  that  must  work 
together.  The}'  do  not  allow  the  finger  to  cut  off  the  thumb — as  we  have 
done. 

They  say  that  water-competition  does  the  railways  good  by  taking 
the  skim  milk  of  the  heavy  tonnage  and  leaving  the  railways  the  cream. 

Railways  which  compete  with  waterways  make  more  money  than  do 
the  lines  which  have  everything  to  carry.  Our  railway  magnates  are 
beginning  to  see  this,  and  men  like  Hill,  Harahan,  and  Finlay  are  strong 
advocates  of  waterways.  If  they  would  only  make  their  traffic  men 
treat  the  rivers  as  European  rivers  are  treated  by  railways,  it  would 
help  greatly.  We  have  adopted  the  remarkable  policy  of  leaving  the 
streams  unfit  for  commerce  until  commerce  has  developed  on  the  unfit 
stream. 

This  policy  renders  worthless  some  of  the  best  material  assets  of  the 
nation.  Take  coal  for  instance.  The  lignite  beds  of  Montana  and 
Dakota  are  the  greatest  coal  measures  in  this  coimtry.  The  technologi- 
cal branch  of  the  Geological  Survey  has  found  that  this  coal — turned 
into  producing  gas — will  furnish  more  power — two  to  one — than  the 
best  anthracite  used  in  a  steam  engine.  Our  coal  is  being  used  up  at  a 
terrific  rate.     It  is  perfectly  certain  that  these  great  low-grade  coal- 


89 

measures  will  come  into  use — that  great  industrial  communities  will  be 
founded  upon  them — and  that  a  great  commerce  in  coal  must  eventually 
spring  up  on  the  Missouri,  if  the  west  arm  of  the  Mississippi  cross  is 
improved.  Millions  of  tons  of  anthracite  and  bituminous  coal  are  yearly 
shipped  into  this  great  northwest  by  rail,  at  ruinous  rates.  The  products 
of  the  farms  must  pay  ruinous  rates  to  get  to  market.  From  Sioux 
City,  Omaha,  St.  Joseph,  and  Kansas  City  many  train-loads  of  meat 
products  are  shipped  daily.  There  are  80,000  barrels  of  flour  ready  to 
go  south  on  the  Mississippi  every  day  from  Minneapolis.  Neither  this 
i'ommerce  nor  that  of  the  Missouri  will  follow  the  rivers  until  the  rivers 
are  made  fit  for  it. 

In  proving  a  case  for  a  national  system  of  waterways,  the  Mississippi 
is  exhibit  A.  It  embraces  a  majorit}'  of  the  projects  for  facilitating 
inland  commerce.  The  San  Joaquin,  the  Sacramento,  the  Columbian, 
the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  projects  are  all  important,  and  must  have  as 
favorable  consideration  as  the  mid-continent  rivers;  but  the  Mississippi 
is  the  stream  that  covers  the  ground.  Don't  make  the  mistake  of  think- 
ing of  it  as  a  stream  that  runs  from  St.  Paul  to  New  Orleans — -merely. 
It  and  its  tributaries  are  creation's  skeletons  for  a  continental  high-way 
system — a  great  family  of  navigable  rivers.  And  it  connects  with  the 
Great  Lakes  system  by  the  Chicago  Drainage  Canal. 

Whatever  Mr.  Darwin  might  say,  there  is  a  difference  between  the 
fittest  and  the  flghtest.  The  railway's  claim  to  superior  merit  is  not 
proved  just  because  they  ruined  the  waterways. 

Our  waterways  must  be  made  better  than  they  ever  were,  for  freight 
hauling  the  boats  must  be  made  bigger,  deeper,  more  powerful  than  those 
of  old,  and  neither  the  Mississippi  nor  an}-  of  its  branches  is  deep 
•enough  for  such  vessels. 

The  slogan  must  be  "Legal  protection  and  deep  water." 

The  Ohio  brings  tidings  of  great  joy  to  the  waterways  advocates — a 
ton  carried  1,000  miles  for  67  cents. 

Let  the  states  of  Texas,  Oklahoma,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  the  Dakotas, 
and  all  those  on  their  border  take  notice  of  the  fact  that  between 
Pittsburg  and  New  Orleans  the  rates  for  carriage  of  heavy  commodities 
like  coal  and  grain  are  so  low,  that  if  the  same  rates  prevailed  on  the 
Missouri  and  Mississippi,  the  farmers  w'ould  get  from  8  to  15  cents  a 
bushel  more  for  their  wheat,  and  in  proportion  for  all  other  products. 

It  costs  |1.70  to  carry  a  ton  of  wheat  from  Eureka,  South  Dakota,  to 
Chicago — 775  miles,  and  Eureka  is  only  a  type.  It  is  30  miles  from  the 
Missouri — with  six  feet  of  water  in  that  river  there  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  that  wheat  could  go  to  St.  Louis  or  Chicago  for  the  70  cents.  All 
up  and  down  the  rivers  and  lakes  where  water  commerce  has  prevailed, 
the  ton  goes  1,000  miles  for  a  dollar  or  less.  On  all  the  railways  of  the 
laud  the  average  charge  for  same  is  |7.50. 

Let  us  see  what  we  have  accomplished  along  waterway  lines  in  the  last 
SO  years.  During  all  those  years  our  legislators  swore  by  the  railways 
and  ridiculed  the  waterways.  The  biennial  rivers  and  harbors  bill  was 
something  between  a  joke  and  a  scandal,  and  yet  the  money  we  spent 
sneeringly,  and  believing  it  to  be  wasted,  pays  us  the  best  of  any  of  our 
•outlays.  Deepening  Boston  Harbor  was  credited  with  adding  three 
■cents  to  the  price  of  western  wheat  by  admitting  deeper  ships.  In  1907 
more  than  41,000,000  tons  of  freight  were  shipped  through  the  "Soo" 


90 

canal,  saviug  the  uatiou  |250.000.000  in  freights — if  oue  compares  the 
^^Soo"  rates  with  railway  rates  on  wheat  for  similar  distances  from 
points  with  no  water  competition.  For  1911  the  amount  of  freight 
passing  through  the  "Soo"  amounted  to  90,000,000  tons. 

Mr.  Hill  savs  that  it  will  take  five  billion  dollars  to  rehabilitate  the 
waterways  so  as  to  enable  them  to  carr}'  the  traffic  of  normal  times,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  normal   increase  of  tonnage. 

The  five  billions  will  have  to  be  provided  bv  the  railwavs,  say  vou? 
why? 

It  will  come  out  of  our  pockets  in  the  end.  The  bonds  and  stocks  of 
the  railroads  are  just  as  much  public  burdens  as  the  bonds  of  the  United 
States,  and  if  we — by  putting  a  billion  or  so  into  waterways — can  take 
off  the  railways  the  burden  of  spending  five  billions,  we  as  a  tax  paying 
and  rate  paying  people  shall  be  at  least  four  billions  ahead. 

There  are  other  considerations.  We  are  in  the  game  of  world  politics 
with  its  Philippine  possessions,  Monroe  doctrines,  Anglo-Japanese  alli- 
ances, and  the  like.  War  with  Great  Britain  would  be  the  most  mon- 
strous crime  of  the  ages;  but  who  shall  say  that  it  is  impossible.  I 
would  merely  suggest  that  when  the  Georgian  Bay  ship  canal  is  opened^ 
Great  Britain  will  have  the  whole  sea-board  absolutely  at  her  mercy 
by  a  i)erfectly  easy  naval  invasion  of  the  lakes  from  the  St.  Lawrence^ 
and  could  pulverize  with  gun  fire  such  cities  as  Chicago,  Buffalo,  and 
Cleveland,  without  our  being  able  to  lift  a  hand  or  fire  a  gnu  in  our  own 
defense.  Commercial  strategy  and  military  strategy  require  the  same 
move  on  our  part. 

AVe  should  meet  the  22  foot  Canadian  project  with  a  22  foot  Mis- 
sissippi. 

James  J.  Hill  has  said  again  and  again  that  14  feet  in  the  Mississippi 
are  not  enough:  that  15  feet  are  essential,  that  18  feet  are  twice  as 
good  as  15,  and  that  there  should  be  twenty. 

Some  engineers  and  lake  carriers  are  opposing  the  lakes  to  the  Gulf 
Waterway  on  the  ground  that  it  will  lower  the  lake  level  to  the  detri- 
ment of  the  lake  traffic.  This  opinion  is  not  concurred  in  by  many  hy- 
draulic engineers. 

There  is  passing  through  the  ^Niagara  River  from  the  four  upper  Lakes 
— Suj)erior,  Michigan,  Huron  and  Erie — about  200,000  cubic  feet  of 
water  per  second.  Those  that  oppose  the  ship  canal  say  that  the  amount 
of  water  diverted  from  Lake  Michigan  at  Chicago  will  be  added  to  the 
amount  passed  through  the  Niagara  Kiver,  and  will — in  about  five  years 
lower  the  lake  levels  from  six  to  eight  inches. 

The  engineers  who  dissent  to  this  opinion  say  that  there  is  in  all 
about  200,000  cubic  feet  of  surplus  water  i)er  second  to  pass  from  the 
lake  basins,  and  if  any  amount  of  it  is  diverted  from  Lake  Michigan,  it 
reduces  the  pressure  on  Huron  and  Erie,  and  therefore  the  quantity  to 
pass  through  Niagara  River,  to  the  extent  of  the  amount  diverted  at 
Chicago  from  Lake  Michigan,  (which  will  ultimately  be  14,000  cubic  feet 
per  second)   and  therefore  has  no  effect  on  lake  levels. 

It  is  estimated  by  the  Inland  Waterways  Commission  that  to  develop 
adequately  the  inland  waterways  of  this  country  will  cost  somewhere 
between  1500,000.000  and  |80O.6oO.0OO.  This  amount  seems  large— very 
large — but  it  is  to  be  noted  that  it  is  only  one-tenth  the  amount  which 


91 

Mr.  Hill  estimated  will  be  required  to  develop  the  railroads  so  as  to 
handle  the  traffic  of  the  couutry. 

The  situation  in  this  country  is  in  somewhat  remarkable  contrast 
with  that  in  Europe.  According  to  Herbert  Knox  Smith,  the  entire 
federal  appropriations  for  the  improvement  of  rivers  and  canals — ex- 
cluding harbors — to  1007  was  .f250.000.000 ;  and  much  of  this  money  has 
been  very  unwisely  expended. 

In  recent  years  there  has  been  developed  a  great  system  of  inland 
waterways  in  an  area  of  about  800.000  square  miles  in  Austria,  Hun- 
gary, Germany,  Belgium.  France.  Holland,  and  Italy,  which  cost  the 
governments  of  these  countries  not  less  than  |1. 000,000,000  or 
$2,000,000,000  more  than  the  maximum  estimate  for  the  necessary  im- 
provements of  the  waterways  of  the  United  States. 

The  advantages  resulting  from  the  development  of  the  waterways  may 
be  recapitulated  as  follows: 

In  the  first  place — the  freight  rates  will  be  reduced  for  a  large  part 
of  our  traffic.  If  we  suppose  that  there  will  develop  on  the  rivers  of  this 
country  a  traffic  at  all  comparable  with  that  on  the  Rhine  and  the 
Danube,  the  reduction  in  freight  rates— alone — would  justify  the  neces- 
sary expenditure. 

In  the  second  place — water  development  will  relieve  the  congestion  of 
the  railroads  and  render  it  unnecssary  to  spend  a  vast  sum  of  money  to 
develop  the  railways  sufficiently  to  handle  the  traffic  of  the  countrv — 
estimated  by  James  J.  Hill  at  about  |6,000,000,000. 

Third — the  storage  of  storm  waters  in  reservoirs  would  make  the 
water  of  the  streams  less  impure.  The  waters  would  be  better  both  for 
domestic  supply  and  for  manufacturing.  Many  lines  of  manufacturing 
require  pure  water.  This  is  illustrated  b}'  the  paper  industry.  Often  a 
large  part  of  the  cost  of  the  water  supply  of  a  city  is  occasioned  by 
great  systems  of  filtering  plants  to  separate  the  silt  and  mud.  If  the 
storm  waters  are  held  at  the  heads  of  the  streams  in  reservoirs — so 
that  there  are  no  great  floods — and  the  streams  maintain  an  equal  flow, 
the  expense  in  connection  with  supplying  cities  with  water  from  rivers 
will  be  lessened. 

Fourth — there  will  be  an  immense  reduction  in  flood  damages. 

By  ''flood  damages''  is  meant  the  actual  losses  which  occur  along  the 
streams  to  constructed  property  in  cities,  country  homes,  railroad 
bridges,  etc. ;  they  have  no  relation  to  agriculture — the  land  itself. 

At  the  present  time  the  flood  damages  of  the  country  are  enormous. 
Leighton,  after  a  careful  consideration  of  the  facts,  estimated  them — 
in  1908— at  |237,800,000.  If  one-fourth  of  this  loss  were  prevented— as 
a  result  of  completing  the  storage  reservoirs  and  developing  navigation 
- — it  would  be  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  entire  improvement 
proposed  for  the  next  ten  years. 

Fifth^ — ^if  the  storm  Avaters  were  restrained  in  reservoirs,  there  would 
be  great  reduction  in  the  denudation  of  the  land. 

Sixth — an  incidental  result  of  the  storing  of  the  storm  waters  will  be 
that  large  areas  of  land  now  flooded  and  made  SAvamps  or  marshes,  will 
be  reclaimed. 

Seventh — The  storing  of  the  storm  waters  would  greatly  improve  the 
Avater  poAvers  of  large  magnitude. 

Mr.  McGee's  estimate  of  the  gains  Avhich  Avill  result  from  the  expen- 


92 

ditnre  of  |500.000,000  distributed  through  ten  rears  for  the  improve- 
ment of  waterways  is  as  foHows:  An  annual  saving  in  transportation 
of  1250.000,000— an  annual  saving  from  tlood  damages  of  |150,000.000. 
—an  annual  saving  from  forest  fires  of  |25,000,000, — an  annual  benefit 
from  cheapened  power  of  $75,000,000 — an  annual  saving  of  soil  erosion 
of  1500,000,000— a  total  of  11,000,000,000  per  annum.  The  proposed  ex- 
penditure is  at  the  rate  of  sixty-two  and  a  half  cents  per  year  per 
capita.  The  saving  is  at  the  rate  of  |12.50  per  capita — or  twenty  times 
as  much. 


.  WHAT  THE  FOREST  SCOUT  WILL  DO  FOR  MICHIGAN. 

BY    J.    H.    MC    GILLIVRAY,    FIKLD    SUPERVISOR^    MICHIGAN    FOREST    SCOUTS. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

Since  the  first  saw -mill  turned  its  wheels  in  what  is  now  St.  Clair 
county,  Michigan,  almost  a  century  before  the  Revolutionary  war  gave 
us  a  nation  with  the  responsibility  for  the  keeping  of  the  country's 
natural  resources,  approximately  over  two  hundred  billion  feet  of  pine 
lumber  have  been  manufactured  by  the  saw-mills  of  this  State.  While 
the  mills  were  cutting  this  vast  amount,  approximately  three  hundred 
billion  feet  of  merchantable  timber  was  destroyed  by  fire — about  $400,- 
000,000  worth.  But  even  the  enormous  value  of  the  grown  timber  de- 
stroyed by  fire  is  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  pro-age  value  of 
the  saplings  and  seedlings  destroyed  with  the  older  trees. 

The  value  of  all  timber  destroyed  by  fire  would  run  past  any  count- 
ing point  in  money  we  Americans  have  ever  been  called  to  use.  Had  we 
this  value  today  in  purchasing  power,  and  the  metals  and  jewels  were 
in  the  market,  we  could  fence  this  State  of  ours  with  copper  pickets, 
erect  on  pillars  of  solid  silver  a  canopy  of  gold  over  the  City  of  Lansing, 
roof  this  great  Capitol  Building  with  golden  shingles  inlaid  with 
precious  stones  and  stud  the  dome  with  diamonds! 

Michigan's  dissipation  of  her  greatest  natural  increment  of  wealth, 
makes  the  Prodigal  Son  of  the  Scriptures  seem  a  miser  by  comparison. 
Had  our  Federal  Government  in  the  past  fifty  years  shown  one-half  the 
sense  displayed  by  the  European  nations,  we  would  have  had  benefit  of 
much  of  the  wealth  that  has  gone  up  in  smoke  and  still  have  much  of 
our  forest  in  the  original  or  in  substitute. 

The  highest  aim  of  a  State  or  Nation  should  be  to  act  as  a  trustee 
for  posterity.  How  are  we  going  to  make  an  excuse  for  posterity's 
wealth  we  have  wasted? 

Our  oAvn  government  in  its  annual  market  reports  prints  with  ap- 
parent pride  what  is  in  fact  the  shameful  history  of  our  wastefulness. 

Our  first  consideration  is  the  prevention  of  forest  fires.  Since  the 
advent  of  the  saw-mill  more  lumber  has  been  destroyed  annually  that 
has  been  sawn  in  the  mills.  No  lumberman  will  contradict  this  asser- 
tion. Last  year  the  loss  in  our  own  State  in  timber  and  readily  esti- 
mated ])r()perty  was  nearly  four  millions  of  dollars!  Recent  holocausts 
at  Metz,  Oscoda  and  Au  Sable,  where  great  loss  of  life  obtained,  brought 


1>3 

with  mournful  vividness,  the  attention  of  the  people  of  the  State  to  the 
urgent  need  of  better  fire  protection. 

When  the  suggestion  of  Governor  Osborn  to  enlist  the  bovs  of  the 
public  schools  of  the  forest  district  as  auxiliary  fire  wardens  was  put 
up  to  me  as  a  deputy  State  Forest  Warden,  by  State  Forestry  Warden 
William  K.  Gates,  I  must  admit  that  the  proposal  indeed  looked  vi- 
sionary. I  countered  with  other  plans  which  appeared  to  me  more  prac- 
tical. I  had  only  to  talk  to  my  first  assembly  of  high  school  students 
to  know  that  the  plan  was  feasible.  They  understood  and  they  said 
they  could  make  good ;  and  I  knew  they  could,  for  the  judgment  of 
youth  is  better  than  is  ours,  when  youth  really  comprehends. 

We  have  been  making  strenuous  efforts  to  get  all  the  boys  available 
in  service  for  the  school  vacation  time  when  they  can  best  give  atten- 
tion to  forest  protection.  Eventually  we  will  have  upwards  of  five  thou- 
sand boys  enrolled.  The  Scouts  already  enlisted  have  been  making 
good. 

Gne  thing  that  disturbed  me  was  what  the  old  time  hard-headed 
practical  lumberman  would  think  of  the  Scout  plan,  but  I  find  that 
there  is  not  one  lumberman  in  Michigan  but  has  endorsed  this  move- 
ment and  the  boys  are  being  encouraged  in  every  way. 

The  Scouts  are  enlisted  for  the  protection  of  frontier  life  and  prop- 
erty, as  well  as  reforestation,  and  each  is  given  an  authority  badge 
which  is  decorative.  Fifty  years  hence,  under  the  shade  of  green  pines, 
listening  to  the  songs  of  the  birds  which  our  forests  bring  us,  old  men 
will  look  on  these  badges  and  recall  with  pride  their  first  active  service 
for  the  State. 

The  Scouts  are  given  a  text-book  which  embraces  methods  of  fighting 
forest  fires,  first  aid  to  the  injured  and  general  out-of-doors  hints.  Sur- 
veying and  timber  estimating  are  explained  so  the  boys  may  determine 
values  of  the  timber  they  are  protecting. 

The  department  of  education  has  seconded  the  efforts  of  the  forestry 
department  and  provision  has  been  made  whereby  all  the  boys  and  girls 
of  the  State  will  have  competitive  rights  in  an  annual  story  contest  in 
which  medals  will  be  awarded,  the  text  to  pertain  to  the  Scouts  and 
their  work.  For  proficiency  in  field  work,  scholarships  in  forestry 
schools  will  be  given. 

What  interests  the  boy  and  girl  interests  the  parent.  We  are  going  to 
educate  the  people  of  Michigan  to  the  importance  of  prevention  of  forest 
fires,  as  well  as  several  other  things. 

The  Forest  Scouts  are  going  to  minimize  the  fire  loss  from  the  start. 
Besides  the  Scouts,  the  present  fire-fighting  force  of  the  State  consists  of 
the  State  Forestry  Warden,  ten  deputies  and  the  supervisors  of  organ- 
ized townships.  Special  Wardens  are  appointed  in  surveyed  townships 
where  there  is  no  organization. 

When  a  Scout  puts  out  a  small  fire  or  reports  a  fire  to  any  of  these 
Wardens,  he  is  presented  with  an  Honor  Medal.  When  he  performs  an 
act  of  heroism  or  of  conspicuous  good  judgment  in  behalf  of  the  State, 
he  is  presented  with  a  Gold  Medal.  The  State  assumes  that  a  boy  on 
the  lookout  for  any  meritorious  service  he  can  perform,  is  a  boy  better 
fitted  for  that  particular  service  for  which  he  is  enlisted. 

The  skeptic  will  say,  "And  what  will  these  boys  straightway  do?  You 
are  simply  encouraging  them  to  go  out  in  the  woods  and  set  fires,  so 


94 

that  they  may  win  medals  for  putting  them  out !"  Don't  you  believe  it ! 
And  I  apologize  to  the  boys  in  acknowledgment  that  the  thought  should 
ever  have  come  into  my  own  mind.  I  have  gone  among  these  boys,  and 
I  know  them.  I  am  speaking  with  absolute  conviction  when  I  say  that 
there  is  not  a  normal  boy  in  the  schools  of  Michigan  today  who  would 
stoop  to  secure  a  medal  by  such  a  method. 

I  want  to  say  to  you  that  there  is  something  about  the  school  boy 
of  today  that  is  an  acquisition  of  today — something  the  like  of  which 
we  have  never  known  before.  It  will  prove  an  increment  to  the  State  of 
great  moral  and  nmterial  value.  The  boy  of  today  will  mark  an  epoch 
in  this  nation's  history.  There  never  has  been  a  boy  like  him  until  the 
present  time.  This  boy  has  been  told  by  the  newspapers  and  magazines 
of  the  evil  and  graft  in  the  world.  They  have  told  him,  mostly,  the 
truth,  and  truth  is  always  beneficial.  The  school  boy  of  today  doesn't 
have  to  grow  u])  with  high  ideals  of  the  world  and  of  the  men  of  prom- 
inence, only  to  grow  cynical  and  discouraged  when  he  finds,  as  did  the 
boy  who  preceded  him,  that  he  has  been  deceived.  Our  boy  is  develop- 
ing with  high  ideals,  but  he  expects  to  make  the  fight  for  their  main- 
tenance himself.  He  knows  what  he  is  up  against,  and  he  is  deter- 
mined to  change  it  all  I 

The  fact  that  this  boy  is  the  Michigan  Forest  Scout  is  going  to  ac- 
complish much  for  Michigan.  Five  thousand  Scouts  make  a  good  army 
of  fire  wardens.  They  are  going  to  minimize  the  loss  by  fire,  and  with 
the  splendid  work  of  the  forestry  associations  of  both  peninsulas,  will  in 
all  probability  make  this  season  the  first  one  in  the  history  of  the 
State  in  which  the  loss  by  fire  will  not  exceed  the  cut  of  the  mills! 

Any  one  can  be  an  honorary  Scout  by  performing  such  act  as  would 
entitle  a  Scout  to  a  medal  reward.  This  is  that  all  may  be  Scouts  in 
spirit.  The  active  Scout  age  is  from  eight  to  eighteen  years,  inclusive. 
These  are,  in  our  judgment,  the  social  massing  limits. 

This  is  no  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy  stunt.  It  is  business — big  business 
— and  the  boys  know  it.  I  have  talked  with  several  thousand  of  these 
boys,  and  I  talk  business  to  them.  My  only  moral  side-light  has  been : 
''Don't  bluflf!  A  bluff  is  a  no-good  thing!  It  never  yet  got  anyone  any- 
thing at  any  time  or  place  that  would  not  immediately  or  eventually 
have  come  in  better  quality  or  greater  quantity,  without  the  bluff." 

There  are  in  this  audience  practical  lumbermen.  You  know  every  de- 
tail of  the  business  from  the  forest  tree  to  the  market;  from  the  stum]) 
to  final  use.  Does  the  matter  of  reforestation  look  to  you  as  something 
good,  but  at  the  same  time  as  something  of  the  far-away  future?  I  wisli 
to  take  a  gentle  exce])tion  to  the  statement  of  Mr.  Baker  that  fifty  years 
is  required  to  grow  white  pine  trees  to  operating  size.  On  his  own 
l)lantation  at  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  grounds  is  a  refutation 
of  his  estimate.  If  the  statistics  say  fifty  years,  then  I  say  statistics  are 
at  fault.  You  will  find  at  the  College  plantation,  trees  in  various  stages 
of  development.  You  will  find  one  growth  of  several  acres  of  white  pine. 
It  was  planted  fifteen  years  ago  from  three-year-old  seedlings.  Today 
you  could  cut  merchantable  timber  from  it. 

It  is  my  honest  conviction,  and  I  have  managed  extensive  operations 
in  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Washington,  Idaho  and  California,  that  2S- 
log  white  pine  timber,  such  as  would  be  grown  in  twenty-five  years  from 
seedlings,  would  yield  to  the  intelligent  operator  who  fits  his  machinery 


95 

to  the  size  of  the  timber,  a  better  margin  of  profit  than  any  other  timber 
on  the  continent,  except  the  old-growth  white  pine  and  the  big  western 
and  sugar  pine  of  California,  taking  it  for  granted  that  all  stumpage 
was  free  to  the  operator. 

While  the  time  is  not  very  far  distant  when  all  our  rich  alluvial  and 
<}Iay  surface  soils  will  be  under  general  agriculture,  when  our  gravelly 
loams  will  be  devoted  to  the  raising  of  fruits,  there  will  always  remain 
a  large  acreage  in  this  State  which  will  have  a  greater  economic  value 
for  timber  production  than  for  any  other  purpose.  Michigan  Forest 
Scouts  can  reforest  Michigan,  and  other  states  will  soon  adopt  the 
Scout  idea.  Keep  the  fires  out  and  five  thousand  Scouts  planting  trees 
for  forty  years,  and  merchantable  white  pine,  Norway  and  cedar  will 
stand  again  in  good  commercial  size  on  practically  all  the  available  and 
fit  land  in  the  State. 

Lret  me  here  insert  the  plea  that  all  of  these  United  States,  all  the 
provinces  of  our  Canadian  sister  on  the  east  and  north,  and  Mexico 
too,  on  the  south,  work  for  a  continent-wide  agreement  to  be  ratified 
by  the  states  and  provinces,  and  made  by  such  national  ratification  into 
an  international  law :  That  a  time  be  set  several  years  ahead,  after 
which  slashings  must  be  burned  or  cleared,  and  seedlings  planted  in 
place  of  those  trees  felled.  No  one  state  or  province  could  enforce  such 
a  law  singly,  without  approaching  the  market  at  a  disadvantage  with 
the  others.  Under  an  international  agreement  the  market  would  adjust 
itself  to  the  extra  expense  of  operation  and  no  hardship  would  be  im- 
posed on  the  operator.     I  am  not  so  sure  about  the  consumer. 

Michigan  Forest  Scouts  are  going  to  protect  our  birds  and  our  game 
land  our  fish,  as  well  as  our  forests.  They  are  going  to  augment  the 
spirit  of  a  new  chivalry  that  is  now  appearing  in  Michigan. 

Mr,  Baker  has  said  that  science  and  not  sentiment  is  going  to  reforest 
this  State.  If  it  were  not  for  sentiment  there  would  be  no  science. 
Sentiment  is  the  greatest  thing  in  this  world.  If  the  truth  be  known, 
it  is  the  basis  of  all  science  and  all  commercialism.  Everything  splendid, 
everything  noble,  everything  good,  everything  beautiful  that  has  been 
done  with  pen  or  brush  or  voice  or  hand,  everything  worth  while  here  on 
earth  has  been  born  in  sentiment,  reared  in  sentiment,  and  has  been 
remembered  and  reverenced  in  sentiment. 

This  sentimental  Scout,  through  healthy,  normal  out-of-door  thoughts 
and  exercise,  will  develop  into  a  splendid  man  mentally,  morally  and 
physically;  into  a  good  citizen,  a  clean  statesman.  Michigan  Forest 
Scouts,  will,  in  a  decade,  prove  the  best  asset  the  State  of  Michigan  has 
ever  commanded,  except  the  Michigan  Forest  Girl — his  inspiration — 
who  will  then,  with  her  city  cousins,  be  casting  her  ballot  with  the 
Scout  for  all  that  is  good  for  Michigan  in  unselfish  patriotic  politics. 


96 


WHAT  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  POWER  IX  OUR  STREAMS 

WILL  DO  FOR  THE  CONSERVATION  OF  COAL  AND 

WOOD  AND  FOR  AGRICULTURE. 

H.    H.    CROWELL,    GRAND    RAPIDS. 

Mr.   Cliairman,  Ladies  and  GentlemeD : 

A  few  days  ago  voiir  Honorable  Secretary.  Commissioner  Carton,  ex- 
tended to  me  an  invitation  to  attend  this  Conference,  suggesting  that 
I  give  a  twenty  minute  talk  on — ''What  the  Development  of  the  Power 
in  our  Streams  will  do  for  the  Conservation  of  Coal  and  Wood  and  for 
Agriculture." 

I  was  pleased  to  accept  his  invitation  and  deem  it  an  honor  and  a 
privilege  to  have  this  opjiortunity  of  addressing  you.  but  the  subject  is 
so  important  an  one  that  I  could  well  wish  for  more  time  in  prepara- 
tion or  that  the  time  allotted  had  been  given  to  some  speaker  better 
equipped  or  more  competent  to  discuss  it.  I  will,  with  your  pennis- 
sion,  endeavor  to  be  as  practical  as  possible  in  what  I  may  say. 

It  is  assumed  for  the  moment  that  the  development  of  water  powers 
is  of  national  interest  in  reference  to  the  conservation  of  coal  and  wood 
and  other  sources  of  stored  up  work  and  that  the  development  of  our 
stream  power  is  of  State-wide  interest  to  our  agriculturalists,  their  de- 
pendents and  beneficiaries. 

As  I  am  not  the  seventh  son  of  a  seventh  son  and  lack  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  I  crave  permission  to  slightly  change  the  caption  of  the  ad- 
dress by  substituting  "would"  for  "will''  and  by  inserting  "may  do'' 
before  the  words  "for  Agriculture,"  so  that  it  may  read, — "What  the 
Development  of  the  Power  in  our  Streams  would  do  for  the  Conserva- 
tion of  our  Coal  and  Wood  and  may  do  for  Agriculture." 

The  water  powers  of  her  streams  are  of  vast  commercial  importance 
to  the  State  of  Michigan. 

Their  conservation  or  development  and  the  direct  immediate  results  of 
such  development  industrially  and  agriculturally  will  be  largely  de- 
pendent upon  methods  and  conditions,  legislative  action — whether  re- 
pressive or  guiding — and  the  assistance  rendered  by  the  public  generally 
to  those  who  assume  the  burden  of  raising  the  necessary  capital  and 
marshalling  the  great  executive  and  technical  ability  required  in  con- 
serving the  power  of  our  streams  to  the  utmost  degree. 

Any  action  that  is  repressive  or  oppressive,  or  any  action  that  arrests 
development  or  prevents  the  natural  use  of  a  resource  does  not  make  for 
its  conservation. 

Of  our  resources  there  should  be  neither  wasteful  use  nor  total  dis- 
use, which  is  the  greatest  waste  of  all. 

The  stored  up  work  obtainable  from  our  resources  such  as  coal,  wood^ 
gas,  oil  and  other  natural  fuels,  may  not  be  replenished  if  once  used. 

Not  so  the  forces  of  moving  air  or  falling  waters. 

Consequently,  true  conservation  and  commercial  providency  suggests 
that  we  do  not  now  use  our  stores  of  coal,  wood  and  other  natural  fuels 


97 

for  power  purposes,  provided  we  can   develop  and  substitute  therefor 
another  natural  resource  at  equal  or  less  cost  of  production. 

Water  power  resources  undeveloped  and  unutilized  are  valueless, 
therefore  true  conservation  of  our  water  powers  is  to  develop  and  use 
them  in  the  highest  possible  degree  in  lieu  of  other  natural  resources 
which  can  never  be  replenished,  and  which  are  now  being  consumed  at 
an  excessive  rate. 

SOME    GENERAL   DATA. 

Data  regarding  the  consumption  of  coal  for  the  past  sevent}-  years 
afford  an  interesting  study. 

Coal  was  mined  at  the  rate  of  2,000,000  tons  per  year  in  1840; 
270,(100,000  tons  were  mined  in  1900  and  501,596,000  tons  in  1910. 

Consumption  was  doubled  in   the  last  decade. 

The  value  of  the  coal  consimied  in  1910,  at  an  average  price  of  |2.00 
per  ton,  would  exceed  one  billion  of  dollars,  with  millions  of  water  horse 
power  unutilized. 

Each  continuous  water  horse  power  developed,  on  the  basis  of  5  lbs. 
of  coal  per  H.  P.  hour,  would  save  approximately  22  tons  of  coal  per 
3'ear.  The  net  gain  in  this  instance  is  something  less  than  the  value 
of  the  coal  saved,  this  being  partially  offset  by  increased  fixed  charges 
on  increased  investment,  an  h^'dro-electric  plant  costing  more  to  build 
per  continuous  horse  power  capacity  than  a  steam  plant. 

The  people  generally  are  becoming  awakened  to  the  commercial  neces- 
sity for  developing  our  water  powers  and  the  people  of  Michigan  are 
not  lagging  behind. 

For  the  country  from  1902  to  1907.  approximately  1.000,000  water 
H.  P.  were  developed  for  electric  railway,  lighting  and  power  purposes 
and  from  1907  to  1910  another  million  H.  P.  of  water  power  was  de- 
veloped for  like  use. 

The  present  total  water  ])ower  development  of  the  country  amounts  to 
about  6,000,000  H.  P.,  of  which  practically  one-half  is  hydro-electric, 
the  energy  therefrom  being  generally  utilized  for  lighting,  power  and 
traction  purposes. 

There  remain  perhaps  25,000,000  H.  P.  of  water  power  still  available 
for  development  imder  reasonable  commercial  conditions. 

It  would  be  safe  to  say,  having  in  mind  present  commercial  conditions 
and  limitations,  that  the  total  water  power  which  can  be  made  available 
in  this  country  with  reasonable  cost  and  with  satisfactory  return  upon 
investment  is  not  less  than  30,000,000  H.  P. 

It  is  estimated  that  we  now  use  industrially  about  25,000,000  H.  P. 
in  the  country  today,  19,000,000  H.  P.  being  steam  power,  the  balance 
of  6,000,000  H.  P.  being  water  power. 

You  will  note  from  the  foregoing  that  25%  of  the  total  power  used  is 
water  power  and  that  20%  of  all  the  water  power  deemed  commercially 
available  is  already  developed,  10%   hydro-electrically. 

As  to  the  commercial  value  of  a  good  water  power  stream,  I  would 
call  your  attention  to  one  of  the  remarkable  streams  of  New  England, 
the  Merrimac.  Between  Franklin,  N.  H.,  and  Newburvport,  Mass.,  a 
distance  of  110  miles,  the  river  falls  269  ft.  185  ft.  of  this  fall  is  utilized 
with  a  total  development  of  60,000  wheel  H.  P. 
13 


98 

This  stream  lias  made  Manchester,  Lowell  and  Lawrence,  with  their 
population  of  nearly  275,000,  among  New  England's  most  prosperous 
industrial  cities. 

To  what  end  shall  the  Avater  i)ower  of  Michigan's  streams  be  devel- 
oped? Before  we  answer,  some  material  facts  in  reference  to  ^lichigau 
and  her  peo})le  may  be  considered. 

SOME    MICHIGAN   DATA. 

^  The  State  has  a  gross  area  of  nearly  58,000  square  miles;  the  popula- 
tion is  more  than  3,000,000  and  the  density  is  50  to  the  mile  as  against 
81  for  the  country.  About  one-half  of  the  people  live  in  cities  of  2,500 
or  more  and  one-half  of  the  State's  population  is  classed  as  rural. 

Thirt.v-eight  per  cent  of  her  people  live  in  2-1  cities  and  furnish  more 
than  G8%  of  the  manufactured  product  of  the  State,  which  is  valued  at 
to  exceed  $700,000,000.  Manufacturing  is  carried  on  in  nearly  10,000 
establishments,  employing  move  than  350,000  people,  the  general  workers 
earning  an  average  of — men,  |2.32  per  day  and  women,  |1.24  per  day, 

Michigan  is  the  sixth  railroad  state  in  the  Union,  with  over  0,100 
miles  of  steam  track. 

Michigan  is  changing  largely  to  an  industrial  state,  and  it  is  the 
seventh  state  in  the  Union  in  manufacturing,  S.5%  of  the  population 
being  classed  as  factory  wage  earners. 

Referring  to  the  power  used  by  her  10,000  industrial  establishments, 
reports  show  about  0,200  boilers  installed  in  3,000  steam  plants,  having 
a  total  capacity  of  811,578  H.  P. 

We  know  that  the  people  of  Michigan  are  vitally  interested  in  the  cost 
of  power  for  manufacturing  industries,  for  traction  purposes  and  for 
public  and  private  lighting. 

Any  power  development  that  will  reduce  the  cost  of  power  and  hence 
cost  of  product  to  the  manufacturer,  whether  located  in  city,  village  or 
country,  will  surely  benefit  the  industries  of  the  State  as  a  whole. 

Any  benefit  to  the  industries  of  the  State  as  a  whole  is  reflected 
toward  and  reacts  on  the  farmer,  for  busy  factories  and  continuously 
employed  urban  populations  mean  good  and  ]>rofitable  markets  for  the 
farmer's  products. 

WATER   POWER   DEVELOIVMEXT. 

If  it  were  possible  to  substitute  our  water  i)ower  for  the  800,000 
steam  power  noAv  installed  and  the  power  was  used  on  an  average  of 
U  hours  a  day,  G  days  a  week,  it  would  conserve  for  future  use  5,700,000 
tons  of  coal  per  year,  at  a  value  of  perhaps  |12,000,000,  the  net  annual 
saving  being  the  difference  between  coal  value  and  excess  capital  costs. 

While  it  is  not  possible  to  substitute  water  power  or  hydro-electric 
power  for  this  steam  power,  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  many  rivers 
of  Michigan  could  furnish  thousands  of  horse  power  of  water  power 
as  a  substitute  for  a  porti<^>n  of  the  steam  ])ower  now  being  generated 
and  so  do  Iheir  share  toward  the  conservation  of  coal  and  wood. 

The  rivers  of  Michigan, — the  Huron  and  Kalamazoo,  the  St.  Joe  and 
the  Grand,  the  Muskegon,  Manistee  and  lioardman,  the  An  Sable,  To- 
t>acco  and  Tittibawassee,  the  Chij)pewa  and  the  Pine,  all  furnish  many 
sites  available  for  the  develoi)ment  of  water  ])ower. 


99 

Uufortimately,  we  may  not  depend  on  a  regular  flow  of  water  in  these 
treams  on  account  of  the  variation  in  rainfall  during  different  seasons 
if  the  year;  therefore,  not  all  of  these  rivers  are  good  water  power 
treams  and  not  all  of  the  water  power  sites  are  commercially  practi- 
able.  many  of  them  being  located  in  inaccessible  places  far  from  a 
lossible  market  and  impossible  of  economical  development. 

A  study  of  these  rivers  and  their  water  sheds  has  disclosed  to  us  that 
he  rivers  of  Michigan  can  furnish  perhaps  200,000  horse  power,  the 
[tilization  of  which  will  be  of  marked  and  increasing  value  to  our  in- 
lustrial  and  social  activities. 

While  this  is  all  very  interesting  and  attractive,  let  us  not  deliber- 
tely  deceive  ourselves. 

\\'ater  power  is  not  always  cheap  power  or  even  good  power  and  it  is 
ften  more  expensive  to  operate  than  an  efficient  steam  plant. 

This  may  be  due  to  relatively  low  head,  expensive  development,  loss 
f  head  in  flood-flow,  lack  of  water  at  minimum  flow  or  extreme  vari- 
bility  of  flow  requiring  an  excessive  investment  in  auxiliary  power. 

Difficulties  due  to  variations  of  stream  flow  may  at  times  be  remedied 
y  consolidating  the  energy  developed  at  several  sites,  for  the  concentra- 
ion  of  a  number  of  water  powers  of  barely  possible  commercial  con- 
ideration  may  make  a  profitable  enterprise. 

Unless  such  powers  are  consolidated,  industrial  development  is  in- 
ured and  the  powers  are  not  conserved  to  their  greatest  utilit}',  nor  is 
t  possible  to  effect  great  economies  in  maintenance  and  operation,  nor 
an  water  power  be  delivered  to  the  ultimate  consumer  at  least  cost. 

(leuerally  speaking-,  up  to  25  years  ago,  water  powers  Avere  used  locally 
nd  their  utilization  was  a  local  matter,  pure  and  simple. 

A  water  power  utilized  at  its  site  is  of  limited  value.  Distribute 
ts  power  over  a  wide  area  and  you  increase  its  value,  likewise  its  use- 
ulness. 

The  development  of  a  water  power  today  is  of  far  greater  interest  to 
he  general  public  than  it  was  previous  to  the  age  of  electric  generation 
nd  transmission. 

WATER    POWER    UTILIZED. 

Water  poAver  can  now  best  be  utilized  commercially  by  developing 
he  total  fall  of  the  stream  at  a  few  points,  constructing  a  few  power 
tations  of  relatively  large  size  at  the  most  favorable  locations;  trans- 
orm  to  electric  energy  for  transmission  over  wide  areas  to  the  places 
vliere  it  can  be  used  to  the  best  advantage  and  thus  entirely  change  the 
udustrial  aspect. 

The  aggregated  industrial  demand  of  a  wide  area  may  thus  be  served 
vith  greatest  economy  by  a  large  water  power  or  the  consolidation  of 
everal  water  powers,  electrically  developed  and  administrated  as  a 
ingle  unit. 

The  wide  area  served  brings  relief  through  diversity  of  use,  the  auxil- 
aries  required  for  extraordinary  demands  or  peak  loads  are  reduced  in 
lumber  and  capacity  and  we  have  the  least  dollar  of  investment  and 
lence  the  least  cost  per  unit  of  service. 

In  the  last  analysis,  all  sources  of  power  available  for  a  particular 
erritory  should  be  brought  under  one  administration,  the  power  being 
listributed  in  many  localities  as  required. 


100 

A  comprehensive  and  adequate  organization  developing  and  conserv- 
ing a  group  of  water  powers,  transmitting  the  energy  developed  there- 
from over  wide  areas,  will  be  of  special  benefit  to  the  small  manufacturer 
and  the  small  user  of  power  in  the  small  and  scattered  communities. 

Such  consumers  of  power  are  relieved  of  the  necessity  of  investing 
their  limited  capital  in  a  local  jiower  plant  and  may  use  such  released 
capital  for  the  particular  or  ostensible  purposes  of  their  activity.  This 
capital  then  becomes  active  commercial  capital  and  not  a  passive  in- 
vestment. 

This  aid  to  small  power  users  in  the  smaller  communities  makes  for 
a  general  prosperity  in  said  communities  by  furnishing  home  employ- 
ment ;  tends  to  thicken  up  the  population  and  by  so  doing,  increases  the 
immediate  local  demand  for  the  necessaries  of  life,  thus  directly  bene- 
fiting the  contiguous  farming  community. 

AS   COMPARED    AVrPII    STEAM    POWER. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  necessary  capital  investment  per 
H.  P.  capacity  is  greater  for  a  water  power  plant  than  for  a  steam  plant 
and  that  steam  plants  are  far  more  economical  than  they  were  20  yeai^s 
ago. 

Therefore,  after  development,  it  is  generally  necessary,  in  order  to 
reap  the  benefits  due  to  the  saving  of  fuel,  to  operate  a  water  power 
plant  a  certain  definite  minimum  number  of  hours  per  year  to  overcome 
the  increased  capital  costs  due  to  the  large  investment. 

The  total  fuel  cost  of  a  steam  plant  generally  increases  as  the  number 
of  H.  P.  hours  produced  increases. 

The  operating  cost  per  H.  P.  hour  of  a  water  power  plant  generally 
decreases  as  the  number  of  H.  P.  hours  produced  by  a  given  development 
increases. 

Therefore,  the  relative  cost  of  steam  and  water  power  may  be  said 
to  depend  largely  upon  the  total  horse  power  hours  output  of  either 
facility  in  relation  to  the  nmximum  demand  thereon  for  any  certain 
period  or  cycle  of  operation. 

Hydro-electric  development  of  the  stream  generally  means  electric 
transmission  and  distribution  over  greater  or  less  territory,  depend- 
ing upon  the  market. 

The  losses  incurred  in  electric  generation,  transmission  and  distribu- 
tion, especially  when  the  power  must  be  transmitted  a  great  distance, 
make  it  unwise  to  develop  small,  isolated,  variable  or  unreliable  water 
powers  as  single  undertakings.  Such  powers  must  wait  on  circumstance. 
Eventually  they  could  be  developed  to  serve  as  feeders  for  what  they  are 
worth  to  some  then  existing  system,  their  output  being  absorbed  in  the 
general  operations. 

The  demand  for  a  continuous  service  generally  requires  that  an  hydro- 
electric development  be  backed  up  by  an  auxiliary  steam  plant  of  good 
design  and  efficiency. 

The  installation  of  a  large  hydro-electric  generating  and  distributing 
plant,  together  with  its  insurance  power  in  the  form  of  a  steam  auxil- 
iary to  guarantee  continuity  of  service  means  a  heavy  investment  of 
capital  to  provide  the  necessary  equipment  in  station  and  sub-stations, 
transmission  lines,  etc. 


101 


RELATIVE    TO    CAPITAL. 


Attention  is  here  called  to  a  peculiar  feature  of  an  hydro-electric 
undertaking  and  the  public  utility  business.  The  investment  of  capital 
per  dollar  of  gross  annual  revenue  is  relatively  large. 

In  many  kinds  of  business  the  investment  needs  to  be  but  one-third 
or  one-quarter  of  the  gross  revenue ;  that  is,  the  capital  ma}'  be  turned 
three,  four  or  more  times  a  year,  while  in  an  hydro-electric  undertaking 
the  capital  invested  will  be  from  four  to  eight  times  the  gross  annual 
revenue ;  that  is,  the  capital  cannot  be  turned  but  once  in  from  four  to 
eight  years. 

This  is  a  point  too  often  overlooked  by  investors  and  the  general 
public  alike. 

Investors  have  in  the  past  been  attracted  toward  hydro-electric  propo- 
sitions, many  of  them  of  doubtful  value,  because  promotors  have  led 
them — to  their  cost — to  believe  that  great  profits  must  necessarily  follow 
any  water  power  development.  The  knowledge  gained  by  past  experi- 
ence should  save  us  from  man}-  failures  in  the  future. 

It  is  true  a  water  power  is  economical  of  operation  and  the  cost  of 
hydro-electric  energy  (simple  operating  expenses  only  included)  is  com- 
paratively not  great,  but  it  should  be  clearly  borne  in  mind  that  the 
fixed  expenses, — interest,  insurance,  taxes,  depreciation,  etc., — are  rela- 
tively large  and  in  the  final  analysis  "load  factor"  or  average  use  of  the 
plant  capacity  will  determine  its  success  or  failure. 

PROFIT    FROM    OPERATION. 

An  hydro-electric  project  will  be  profitable  or  unprofitable  depending 
U])on  the  expense  of  development,  the  cost  of  maintenance  and  the  de- 
mand and  supply  of  product. 

Grouping  of  the  administration  of  several  small  undertakings  under 
one  efficient  management  will  tend  to  make  the  whole  proposition  profit- 
able. 

Hydro-electric  undertakings  have  not  as  a  class  paid  the  investor  ex- 
cessive profits.  Securities  issued  to  pay  constructional  costs  are  not  yet 
placed  in  the  highest  class  of  investments  by  the  investing  public. 

This  does  not  mean  that  such  securities  are  all  ^jrecarious  or  that  the 
better  class  involve  special  risks  not  present  in  other  industrial  under- 
takings. 

The  same  rule  applies  here  as  in  other  industries.  The  hydro-electric 
induytry  is  no  "get-rich-quick"  concern,  muckrakers  to  the  contrary. 
Indeed,  many  hydro-electric  developments  require  special  consideration 
during  the  constructional  and  early  periods  of  business  development. 

Many  fail  to  pay  dividends  or  have  to  be  reorganized  during  the  first 
decade  of  their  existence.  I  readily  recall  one  development  of  50,000  H. 
r.  where  the  original  investment  was  entirely  lost  before  a  profitable 
business  had  been  established. 

The  margin  of  profit  in  hydro-electric  developments  is  at  times  so 
snuUl  that  it  takes  the  highest  order  of  business  talent  and  acumen  to 
conserve  it. 

Success  may  be  killed  completely  by  repressive,  oppressive  or  ill- 
advised  legislation  and  in  no  industry  will  such  unnecessary  burdens 
fall  more  directlv  on  the  ultimate  consumer. 


102 

The  oulv  et'oiiomically  sound  idea  in  the  developmeut  of  a  water  power 
and  its  utilization  is  to  reach  the  ultimate  consumer  on  such  terms  as 
will  readily  saturate  the  community  and  make  for  the  greatest  use  of  the 
facility. 

This,  in  ])lain  terms,  means  the  best  service  at  the  lowest  price  co)n- 
mensurate  therewith. 

COMMliKCIAL    .VSriOCTS. 

You  will  now  readily  understand  (from  what  has  been  said)  that 
through  consolidation  of  several  poor  water  powers  we  may  get  a  power 
of  some  commercial  value.  Further,  by  combining  the  output  from  sev- 
eral water  ])owers  and  distributing  it  over  a  wide  area,  with  skillful 
and  efficient  administration  and — very  important — with  adecpiate 
financing,  we  may  ultimately  secure  a  reasonable  profit  from  o])erations. 

But  this  ]trofit  from  operations  is  predicated  upon  the  marketing  of 
the  product,  and  to  do  this  we  must  better  existing  conditions  of  power 
supply,  and  successfully  compete  with  the  next  best  substitute,  which 
is  always  to  be  reckoned  with. 

RELATIXc;    TO    LEGISLATION    AXI)    REGT'LATIOX. 

Water  power  is  a  natural  monopoly.  The  law  of  stream  flow  must  be 
complied  with.  We  must  adapt  our  business  to  meet  it.  Our  rules  and 
regulations  and  our  laws  must  recognize  natural  conditions.  Legisla- 
tion must  be  considerate  and  ])rotective.  not  oppressive,  repressive  oi 
])reventive. 

The  i)roblem  of  the  develoi)ment  of  our  water  power  has  two  sides, 
('or})orate  abuses  and  unfair  methods  are  not  to  be  countenanced,  but 
correction  of  ]jast  errors  does  not  mean  ill-advised  or  repressive  legisla 
tion  that  would  prevent  the  future  development  of  the  water  powers  of 
the  State  along  rational  and  commercially  provident  lines. 

The  electric  transmission  of  water  power  over  long  distances  and  the 
serving  of  wide  areas  is  a  public  service. 

This  we  may  not  controvert. 

A  public  service  cor])oration  is  certainly  susceptible  of  i>roper  regu- 
lation, based  on  modein  ideas  and  in  accordance  with  our  ])reseut  neces 
sities. 

To  my  mind,  we  need  not  look  with  a]»])rehension  nor  need  we  view 
with  alarm  the  necessary  consolidation  of  water  powers  to  enable  them 
to  compete  with  economic  steam  plants  and  so  make  them  available  and 
of  value  in   our  industrial   life. 

Xor  need  we  be  unduly  exercised  over  their  consolidated  management 
or  the  efficient  administration  of  a  comi>rehensive  develo]»ment  of  several 
water  ])Owers; — thesi'  are  necessary  ])rocesses  in  order  that  the  under 
taking  may  be  financed  and  successfully  o]»erated.  It  is  a  j)lain  business 
projiosition  that  faces  us.  It  is  simply  setting  in  motion  the  necessary 
machinery  re(iuired  in  the  conservation  of  the  commercial  water  powers: 
that  is,  their  develoinncnt  and  utilization. 

This  State  will  be  jtractising  true  conservation  in  the  future  as  in  the 
past  if,  instead  of  adding  to  the  cost  and  difficulties  of  develo])ment,  it 
gives  legitimate  assistance  and  hearty  co-o]>eration  to  capital  and  initia 


103 

tive  iu  its  efforts  to  bring;  the  actual  water  power  resources  into  our 
commercial  life. 

Adverse,  inconsiderate  or  repressive  legislation,  hampering  rules  and 
regulations  will  increase  the  cost  of  development,  and  make  it  almost 
impossible  to  develop  water  powers  now  barely  practical.  This  natur- 
ally increases  the  number  of  horse  power  required  to  be  developed  by 
steam,  with  of  course,  a  corresponding  destruction  of  coal,  wood,  oil  or 
gas,  which  is  the  very  reverse  of  conservation. 

Deterrent  and  repressive  legislation  in  reference  to  water  powers  has 
in  the  past  been  invoked  in  other  states  by  those  not  well  informed,  who, 
posing  as  the  defenders  of  the  people's  rights,  were  working  upon, 
theories  far  removed  from  commercial  practise,  which  did  not  make  fov* 
the  real  interests  of  the  people. 

I  look  for  the  time,  not  far  distant,  Avhen  the  people  will  become  in- 
formed and,  awakening,  will  condemn  those  wiio  put  ol)stacles  in  the 
path  of  progress. 

To  obstruct  the  initiative  of  men  who  can  connnand  the  capital  and 
ability  to  accomplish  great  undertakings  and  who  have  tlie  faith  and 
courage  to  undertake  great  enterprises  is  not  to  befriend  the  people. 

France,  Germany,  Austria,  England  and  other  foreign  countries  have 
developed  water  jjowers  to  a  marked  degree.  Private  concerns  are  given 
grants  of  franchises  under  government  control  and  regulation,  and  are 
fostered  in  every  legitimate  waj'.  They  are  thus  encouraged  to  develoj* 
and  produce  electric  power  at  minimum  cost.  In  Austria,  |24,000,000  of 
capital  is  now  being  expended  on  hydro-electric  developments. 

The  modern  corporation,  big  in  order  that  it  may  do  big  things,  al- 
ways assailed  and  vilified  by  demagogues  and  self-seeking  politicians,  is 
developing  the  resources  of  the  land  and  bringing  millions  to  the  user 
of  those  resources;  it  is  establishing  great  enterprises  in  the  wilderness, 
building  hamlets  in  waste  places,  locating  factories  on  sandy  plains, 
furnishing  home  employment  there  at  remunerative  wages  and  certainly 
some  of  these  things  would  never  know  life  were  our  water  jiowers  never 
developed. 

AS   TO   REFORESTATION. 

Of  necessity,  those  interested  iu  the  development  of  wafer  powers  are 
also  interested  in  the  preservation  of  forests  and  the  reforestation  of 
noAv  barren  and  denuded,  non-agricultural  lands;  for  the  forest  bears 
a  close  relation  to  the  successful  utilization  and  artificial  storage  of 
water  for  at  least  some  Avater  powers. 

Denuded  lands  that  have  become  sun-baked  and  hard  by  exposure  will 
rapidly  discharge  the  rain-fall,  carrying  along  great  quantities  of  the 
land  itself. — the  silt  filling  up  reservoirs  and  destroying  the  storage 
system  itself. 

The  need  of  tree  planting  is  now,  or  soon  will  be,  felt  in  many  sec- 
tions of  Michigan.  There  are  large  areas  of  land  fit  only  for  forest 
growth  and  they  should  be  so  utilized. 

In  passing,  it  is  estimated  that  the  number  of  sound^  straight  poles 
exceeding  20  ft.  in  length  purchased  by  the  telegraph,  telephone  anrf 
electric  light  and  power  companies  for  the  year  1912  will  probably  ex- 
ceed 4,000.000  and  such  poles  are  becoming  increasingly  difficult  to  ob- 
tain. 


104 

Forest  planting  should  be  encouraged  in  every  feasible  wu.v  and  in 
the  near  future  the  true  value  of  forest  land  and  its  rightful  place  among 
the  permanent  resources  of  the  8tate  Avill  be  recognized. 

The  large  area  which  has  been  lumbered  and  fire-swept  presents  a 
difficult  problem  but  the  land  in  its  present  condition  has  a  low-produc- 
ing value  and  forest  planting  would  be  profitable  with  adequate  fire 
I»rotection. 

The  reforestation  of  present  denuded  water  sheds  will  protect  the 
purity  of  the  water,  help  to  regulate  the  run-oft',  reduce  erosion  and  to  a 
degree  reduce  the  discharge  of  silt  into  reservoirs,  thus  benefiting  our 
water  j)owers. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  streams  flowing  through  bare  water  sheds 
drain  oft"  the  rain-fall  rapidly  in  muddy  torrents,  with  recurring  floods, 
to  be  followed  in  time  of  drought  by  extreme  scarcity  of  flow. 

Reforestation  Avill  thus  serve  a  dual  purpose,  protect  the  water  supply 
and  ultimately  bring  a  timber  crop  yielding  good  profits. 

AS    TO    AGRICULTURE. 

Assuming  now  the  development  of  all  our  available  water  power  and 
its  electric  transmission  over  wide  areas;  admitting  its  use  as  a  con- 
servative of  coal  and  wood  and  its  great  value  to  our  State  industries, — 
what  will  it  then  do  for  agriculture  and  the  farmer  directly? 

Tlie  welfare  of  the  farmer  or  the  betterment  of  farm  conditions  is  a 
matter  of  deep  concern  to  those  who  will  develop  our  water  powers. 

Should  the  furnisher  of  our  necessaries  of  life — the  producer  of  our 
food  stuffs — be  obliged  to  do  without  modern  conveniences,  home  lux- 
uries and  labor  saving  devices  because  the  nature  of  his  business  neces- 
sarily means  a  location  in  large,  sparsely  settled  areas? 

Decidedly  no.  All  conveniences,  all  labor  saving  devices  and  even 
city  luxuries  should  be  brought  to  him.  No  matter  how  isolated  he  may 
be,  a  way  will  be  found  to  reach  him; — a  way  is  being  found. 

We  may  be  sure  hydro-electric  power  Avill  do  its  part  in  helping  to  de- 
velop to  the  utmost  Michigan's  agricultural  interests,  for  every  legiti- 
mate eft'ort  will  be  made  to  encourage  the  use  of  electricity  and  electric 
power  on  the  farm  and  by  the  farmer. 

The  farm  machinery,  semi-portable,  ]M)rtable.  auxiliary  and  station- 
ary, will  be  driven  by  electric  motors  supplied  from  some  long  distance 
transmission  line;  grinders  of  food  for  cattle,  meat  choppers,  elevators, 
Jiay  hoists,  ensilage  cutters,  farm  grist  mills,  milk  churns,  cream  sepa- 
rators, vacuum  milking  machines,  i-efrigeration  and  other  time  and 
labor  saving  apparatus  equipment  will  be  ada])ted  for  electric  drive  and 
used  on  many  a  farm. 

The  jtmiiping  of  water  for  sanitary,  domestic  and  fire  ]»urposes  may 
be  easily  accomplished  and,  incidentally,  the  washing  machine  in  the 
laundry  may  be  p(»wer  driven  to  eliminate  some  of  the  drudgery  of  the 
hou.sekeeper's  life. 

Electric  driven  machinery  around  and  about  will  help  and  assist  in 
the  heavier  toil  of  the  farmer  and  replace  in  part,  if  not  in  whole,  the 
fai-m  labor  now  increasingly  difficult  to  secure  or  retain  against  the  lure 
of  the  town.  Wherever  power  machinery  can  be  utilized  in  the  work 
of  the  farm  there  will  be  found  the  electric  motor  to  drive  it. 


105 

Electric  lighting  Avill  be  substituted  for  the  unhandy  kerosene  lamp 
and  lantern  and  for  the  more  dangerous  isolated  gasolene  or  acetylene 
lighting  plants. 

More  light,  more  cheerfulness  at  night,  will  be  brought  to  the  now  iso- 
lated farm  house  and  its  outlying  buildings,  its  present  dark  and  lonely 
roads  and  lanes. 

Every  Four-Corners  or  perhaps  neighborly  cross  roads  could  well  be 
illuminated  at  night  by  tapping  a  nearby  electric  transmission  line,  pro- 
vided conditions  made  for  single  voltage  reduction,  using  a  single  line 
transformer. 

In  the  farmer's  home  will  be  found,  so  far  as  may  be,  any  or  all  of 
the  many  cf)nvenient  household  devices  that  modern  ingenuity  has  made 
available  for  use  where  an  adequate  supply  of  electricity  can  be  had  at 
a  reasonable  price. 

With  power  trucks  replacing  the  ox-teams  in  South  America,  with 
rising  30,000  trucks  now  in  use  in  this  country,  with  the  electric  truck 
holding  its  own  against  the  gasolene  truck  within  a  radius  of  50  miles, 
may  it  be  said  that  we  have  our  heads  in  the  clouds  if  we  perchance  see 
in  our  mind's  eye  a  community-owned  truck,  charged  with  energy  from 
some  distant  Avater  power,  doing  the  work  of  many  teams  in  a  dairy 
community,  going  from  farm  to  farm  collecting  the  milk  and  delivering 
the  same  to  the  milk  depot  in  half  the  time  and  at  half  the  expense; 
returning  thence  Avith  its  load  of  incoming  freight  and  delivering  the 
same  to  the  farmers  along  the  route;  to  be  again  used  in  harvesting. 

There  is  a  large  field  for  the  development  of  irrigation  systems  for  the 
improvement  of  farm  lands  now  unprofitable  on  account  of  a  lack  of 
water  in  the  summer  season. 

There  is  decided  irregularity  of  rain-fall  in  Michigan.  20  to  80  inches 
jter  year  in  the  northern  ])art  of  the  Southern  Peninsula,  8(»  to  40  inches 
south  of  43^  of  latitude  and  30  to  40  inches  in  the  Upper  Peninsula. 

Again,  the  annual  precipitation  for  the  water  year  varies  within  wide 
limits. 

In  the  growing  period,  large  demands  are  made  upon  ground  waters 
and  precipitation  to  supply  crop  requirements. 

The  water  consumption  of  growing  crops  has  been  tabulated  as  fol- 
lows: 

^Vlieat,  rye,  oats,  barley  and  buckwheat,  9  to  10  inches  of  water  on 
the  crop  area  to  fully  supply  demands; 

Corn    12  inches 

Potatoes    41/2  inches 

Beans,  peas  and  orchards 12  inches 

Clover    12  to  13  inches 

Forest    3    to    4  inches 

Wherever  there  is  thin  or  sandy  soil  of  small  ability  to  hold  ground 
water,  wherever  there  is  a  minimum  precipitation  during  the  growing 
period — there  may  irrigation  be  practiced  with  good  results. 

Irrigation  water  may  be  obtained  from  underground  sources  forced 
through  pipes  around  and  about  the  planted  areas  with  an  ordinary 
force  pump  driven  by  an  electric  motor  during  the  hours  of  the  day  when 
the  demand  for  lighting  is  not  great  and  thus  earning  a  very  low  rate 


106 

for  this  service.     One  foot  of  water  per  year  would  not  cost  to  exceed 
fo.OO  per  acre  under  ordinary  conditions. 

Generally  speaking",  every  luiman  activity  using  energy  is  a  possible 
consumer  of  electric  power  and  within  its  legitimate  field,  the  hydro- 
electric plant  waits  its  opportunity  to  serve. 

A    LOOK    BACKAVARD. 

When  I  look  down  the  years  from  the  day  before  Niagara  was  devel- 
oped until  now,  when  I  think  of  the  small  beginnings  of  commercial 
electricity  and  its  almost  universal  use  of  today,  when  I  compare  the 
oO  H.  P.  dynamo  of  yesterday  with  its  30,000  H.  P.  brother  of  today  and 
the  small  motor  which  I  carried  from  town  to  town  with  the  10.000  H. 
P.  motor  now  practically  assured,  and  when  I  remember  the  old  time 
15  ft.  bob-tailed  one-horse  street  car  and  compare  it  with  the  50  ft.  inter- 
urban  of  toda}'  with  its  500  H.  P.  of  motors,  and  Avhen  I  try — as  I  do — 
to  grasp  the  real  meaning  of  transmission  lines  250  miles  long,  I  find 
it  difficult  to  refrain  from  attempts  at  reading  the  future. 

A     LOOK     FORWARD. 

Judging  from  the  past — and  I  kuow^  no  better  way — larger  and  more 
efficient  developments,  with  greater  volume  of  business,  will  serve  to  de- 
crease further  the  cost  of  electric  power  to  the  consumer  from  noAV  on. 
Yet  we  can  at  present  buy  nine  times  the  light  for  a  dollar  that  we  could 
twenty  years  ago,  notwithstanding  the  increased  cost  of  living. 

The  hydro-electric  development  of  tomorrow,  speaking  generally,  must 
be  a  huge  i)lant,  or  several  large  plants  tied  together  electrically  and 
operated  one  with  the  other — its  radius  of  action  far  beyond  the  arti- 
ficial boundaries  of  mere  political  subdivisions. 

Large  trunk  line  railroad  systems  may  be  beyond  the  inmiediate  grasp, 
but  not  for  long. 

Every  sort  of  requirement  will  be  met. 

This  great  development  will  serve  tens  of  thousands  of  consumers  and 
deliver  its  output  over  areas  of  thousands  of  square  miles. 

Admittedl}',  this  picture  is  overdrawn  for  Michigan  for  unfortunately 
she  does  not  possess  any  huge  water  powers;  they  are  of  rather  moder- 
ate size. 

None  the  less,  the  sum  total  of  her  water  power  is  something  to  con- 
jure with  and  should  be  carefully  conserved. 

IX    CONCLUSION. 

Hydro-electric  ])<)wer  at  reasonable  cost  to  the  factory  and  at  the 
farmer's  door  will  conserve  our  coal  and  wood,  make  more  productive 
the  land  of  the  farmer,  lighten  his  labor,  bring  city  conveniences  to 
his  home,  make  his  life  more  worth  living  and  so  will  greater  ])rosperity 
abide  with  those  who  dwell  among  the  hills  and  vales  of  Michigan. 


107 


XORTHEASTEKN    MICHIGAN   AND    ITS   FUTURE. 

BY     JOHN     CARTER.     ST.     HELEN,     MICHIGAN. 

Mr.  Cliairmaii,  Ladies  and  (ieutlemeu : 

I  am  glad  to  be  here  tonight  and  if  there  is  anything  that  I  can  sn 
ont  of  the  experience  I  liave  had  in  the  work  of  tlie  development  ( 
Michigan,  I  shall  be  very  happy  indeed. 

I  often  wonder  if  we  stopped  to  consider,  what  the  development  an 
the  conservation  of  the  resources  of  Michigan  means.  How  many  of  i 
in  this  room  tcniight  have  stopped  to  think  that  if  the  fifteen  inillio 
acres  of  undeveloped  land  in  Michigan  Avere  made  to  produce  their  fu 
quota  of  wealth  of  the  nation  and  wealth  of  the  i^tate,  what  that  won] 
mean?  It  would  mean  about  |loO.OOO,00()  added  to  our  State's  wealt 
and  our  nation's  wealth.     Do  we  stop  to  think  of  that? 

I  sometimes  think  that  Ave  are  very  much  like  the  farmer  who  hii 
a  very  fertile  field  lying  right  up  close  to  his  barn,  and  it  laid  there  xei 
after  year  and  he  did  nothing  with  it.  One  day  a  neighbor  said  to  hir 
"Why  don't  you  cultivate  that  field  and  make  it  produce  something': 
"Oh/'  said  the  farmer,  "I'd  have  to  plow  it,  and  drag  it,  and  plant 
and  cultivate  it  and  then  harvest  it  and  its  too  much  trouble."  An 
that  is  the  way  we  are  in  Michigan.     Its  too  much  trouble. 

This  conservation  talk  Ave  have  taken  up  tonight  is  too  sIoav  by  aboi 
fifty  years.  Of  course,  it  is  a  good  thing  to  take  up  noAV,  but  if  it  ha 
been  taken  up  fifty  years  ago  Iioav  much  greater  Avould  be  the  worth  < 
Michigan.  But  it  is  a  step  we  should  take  and  I  am  glad  to  see  thf 
the  Public  Domain  Commission  is  taking-  hold  so  vigorously.  The  oul 
regret  that  I  have  is  that  they  have  not  more  means  to*^  work  wit: 
Michigan  is  too  parsimonious.  Michigan  has  not  placed  the  means  t 
the  disposal  of  this  Commission  that  it  should;  I  want  to  say  that  tl 
members  of  the  Ptiblic  Domain  Commission  are  good  loyal  ruen,  Avorl 
ing  for  the  interests  of  the  development  of  Michigan,  but  Michigan  hi 
not  placed  sufficient  means  at  their  disposal  to  do  the  Avork.  The  con 
pany  of  Avhich  I  am  president,  expended  last  year  $20,000  for  publicit 
alone  and  |110,000  for  development  Avork.  And  here  is  the  great  Stai 
of  Michigan,  Avith  these  millions  of  acres  of  undeveloped  land  and  mi 
lions  of  dollars  worth  of  resources,  only  placing  |lo,000  at  the  comman 
of  the  Public  Domain  Commission.  Gentlemen,  I  pity  you  from  tl 
bottom  of  my  heart  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  Avhen  vour  next  approprii 
tion  is  made  it  Avill  be  at  least  |50,000;  and  |100,obo  could  be  spent  1 
advantage  in  this  cause. 

You  Avill  pardon  me  if  in  telling  of  the  future  of  northern  Michigai 
I  glA-e  a  little  of  the  history  of  the  St.  Helen's  DeA'elopment  Compan; 
as,  by  so  doing,  I  can  best  illustrate  and  give  force  to  my  talk  here  tl 
night. 

It  is  ten  years  since  I  first  came  to  Michigan.    I  came  from  the  fertil 
fields  of  Illinois,  where  land  is  Avorth  from  |1.50  to  |250  per  acre, 
remember  the  time,  however,  Avhen  140  per  acre  was  considered  a  goo 
j)rice  for  Illinois  land.     When  laud  AAent  up  to  |65.  men  said  it  ha 


108 

'ached  the  limit.  Then  it  reached  |80  and  then  flOO.  and  when  it 
■ached  $100  per  acre  it  commenced  to  bound  np  in  jumps  of  $15  to  |25 
iv  acre,  and  now  it  is  just  a  question  of  what  a  man  asks  for  his  land, 
r  there  is  always  someone  ready  and  anxious  to  buy. 
When  I  came  to  Michigan  I  was  astonished  to  lind  I  could  buy  land 
;  low  as  twenty-five  cents  per  acre  and  although  it  was  considered  of 
>  value  at  that  time,  I  bought  and  kept  on  buying  for  my  company  until 
e  had  about  110,000  acres  of  land  around  ir^t.  Helen.  The  bulk  of  our 
nd  cost  one  dollar  per  acre.  Men  wanted  to  know  Avhat  we  were  going 
1  do  with  it,  what  our  plans  were,  and  I  told  a  few  persons  of  the  de- 
'lopment  work  I  had  in  mind,  and  they  said  it  was  a  pretty  good  idea, 
It  I  saw  that  they  did  not  think  it  would  Avork  out. 
We  bought  all  the  land  around  the  town  site  of  t?t.  Helen,  which  at 
le  time  was  the  best  lumber  town  between  Bay  City  and  Cheboygan 
id  where  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  timber  had  been  cut. 
Naturally  in  so  large  a  tract  of  land  we  found  diversified  soils,    Some 

these  lands  were  the  despised  jack  pine  lands.  People  said  nothing 
Duld  grow  on  them.  You  might  grow  something  on  clay  but  you  simply 
luld  not  groAv  anything  on  those  jack  pine  lands.  But  we  started  our 
'velopment  work  on  these  self  same  despised  jack  pine  lands  and  the 
w  hundred  acres  of  this  land  which  we  have  today  under  cultivation 
ill  produce  as  good  cro])S  as  a  man  could  ask  for. 

We  have  under  cultivation  near  St.  Helen,  3,200  acres  of  land.  We 
ive  planted  in  the  last  five  years,  15,000  fruit  trees.  We  have  one 
ttle  ranch  for  beef — ^another  for  a  dairy  farm.  We  are  growing  clover, 
rn  and  all  kinds  of  root  crops,  such  as  carrots,  beets,  turnips,  etc. 
e  have  nearly  400  acres  of  alfalfa,  720  acres  of  beans,  fifteen  acres  of 
rawberries  and  all  varieties  of  vegetables  grow  exceedingly  well.  We 
•e  starting  a  canning  factory  to  take  care  of  the  strawberries  and 
getables.  We  are  growing  our  own  ])ork  and  beans.  With  all  of  these 
versified  crops  it  is  expected  that  we  should  have  had  some  failures, 
e  do  have  them  but  we  simply  go  ahead  and  strive  to  do  better  next 
lue. 

When  I  think  of  the  capital  that  is  going  to  other  and  less  favorable 
:ites  and  territories,  I  wish  more  and  more  that  there  was  more  money 
r  the  I'ublic  Domain  Commission  with  which  to  carry  on  its  work 
i<l  that  the  State  of  Michigan  could  get  the  advertising  to  which  it  is 
titled. 

Our  lands  are  bountifully  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  purest 
iring  water.  Speaking  of  water,  reminds  me  of  the  story  that  is  told  of 
e  Texan.  A  company  of  men  down  there  met  a  man  hauling  water, 
low  far  do  you  haul  that  water?''  he  asked.  ''About  fifteen  miles," 
id  the  man.     "Why  don't  you  sink  a  well?"  to  which  he  replied,  ''It 

just  as  near  to  haul  the  Avater."  In  Northeastern  Michigan  all  we 
ive  to  do  to  get  Avater  is  to  drive  a  pipe  into  the  ground  fifteen  to 
•enty-five  feet  and  you  could  not  pump  the  well  dry  with  a  steam 
nnp. 

It  Avas  my  pleasure  to  entertain  the  members  of  the  Public  Domain 
•mmission  at  St.  Helen,  three  years  ago,  and  I  Avas  telling  them  and 
her  visitors  about  this  Avater,  sub-irrigation  as  we  call  it.  To  illus- 
ate.  I  took  my  foot  and  scra])ed  away  the  to]),  of  the  soil  and  then 
ached  down  and  secured  a  handful  of  earth  Avhich  Avas  so  moist  that 


109 

it  would  ball  up  in  my  hand  and  I  told  them  the  soil  around  here  was  all 
like  that.  I  really  believe  they  thought  I  had  fixed  that  particular 
place  for  their  benefit,  as  every  little  while  I  would  see  Mr.  Martindale. 
Mr.  Carton  or  Mr.  Eussell  reach  down  and  scrape  away  the  top  of  the 
soil  to  see  if  it  was  the  same,  but  they  found  it  all  alike. 

Now,  as  I  have  said  before,  what  can  be  done  in  Roscommon  County 
and  in  St.  Helen,  can  be  done  in  every  county  in  the  State.  We  have 
only  to  get  at  it.  We  must  develop  this  land  and  make  it  produce  the 
wealth  which  it  is  capable  of  producing.  It  means  lots  of  work  and 
money,  but  the  reward  is  certain,  and  I  trust  that  everyone  here  tonight 
will  pull  together  and  work  vigorously  for  the  development  of  the  mag- 
nificent  resources   of   Michigan. 


FORESTRY  FROM   THE   VIEWPOINT   OF   THE   LUMBER  MANF 

FACTURER. 

LEONARD    BRONSON^    CHICAGO,    ILL.,     MANAGER    NATIONAL    LUMBER    MANUFAC 

TURERS^   ASSOCIATION. 

I  feel  that  I  owe  you  an  apology  for  my  presence  here,  or  at  least  an 
explanation  of  why  I  should  venture  to  address  a  meeting  composed  S( 
exclusively  of  present  or  former  residents  of  the  great  State  of  Michi 
gan.  I  have  never  lived  in  the  State,  and  have  visited  it  only  on  busi 
ness  or  pleasure;  but  the  business  has  usually  been  satisfactorily  ac 
complished  and  the  pleasure  has  always  been  found  here. 

The  subject  you  assign  me  is  both  a  difficult  and  an  easy  one:  It  h 
difficult  because  there  are  so  many  phases  of  it  which  should  be  ex 
plained  if  I  were  to  go  into  it  in  detail ;  yet  easy,  because  practically  aV 
that  I  have  to  assert  is  that  the  attitude  of  lumber  manufacturers  to 
ward  conservation  and  forestry  is,  on  the  whole  and  on  the  average 
friendly  and  co-operative. 

My  subject  is  a  difficult  one  further  because  it  involves  trying  to  gel 
you  to  place  yourselves  at  the  stand-point  of  the  lumberman  so  that  yoi 
can  view  the  subject  of  forestry  as  he  does.  It  is  always  difficult  t( 
put  ourselves  in  the  other's  place,  and  impossible  to  do  so  fully;  yet 
from  our  inability  or  uuAvillingness  to  appreciate  the  other's  view-poini 
arise  most  of  the  misunderstandings  of  life  in  regard  to  matter? 
economic,  social,  political  or  religious. 

The  lumber  manufacturer  has  for  many  years  been  the  subject  o: 
much  unfriendly  criticism  and  often  downright  abuse.  Yet  I  realize  ii 
listening  to  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  that  in  this  lumber  Stat( 
of  Michigan  there  is  not  the  ignorance  of  the  lumber  business  that  is  t( 
be  found  in  many  states,  nor  do  you  show  the  misconceptions  and  preju 
dices  founded  upon  ignorance  which  are  so  often  displayed  in  other  sec 
tions. 

So  I  feel  myself  among  friends  who,  appreciating  somewhat  the  lum 
ber  manufacturer's  situation,  do  not  harshly  criticize,  but  sympathizt 
with  him  in  his  difficulties,  are  patient  with  his  shortcomings  and  mis 


110 

ces,  and  realize  that  the  saw-mill  mau  is  a  citizen  on  the  average  as 
al,  piiblio-s})ii'ited  and  philanthropic  as  other  citizens.  The  lumber- 
u  are  as  willing  to  sacrifice  themselves  and  their  propert}'  in  behalf 
a  worthy  cause  as  are  those  of  other  lines  of  business  and  professions. 
It  you  will  note  this :  It  is  easy  to  be  generous  with  other  people's 
>ney,  and  to  save  the  country  at  the  cost  of  your  wives'  relatives. 
[  want  also  to  recognize  the  great  change  that  has  come  over  the  pro- 
sion  of  forestry  within  the  last  fifteen  or  twenty  years.  Originally, 
this  country,  the  propaganda  for  forest  preservation  was  based  chiefly 
on  sentimeni  ;  and  when  the  professional  forester  came  into  existence 
this  country,  he  was  influenced  to  a  considerable  extent  by  this  senti- 
nt,  and  also  by  his  knowledge  of  foreign  forestry  methods  and  his 
lorance  of  American  conditions.  But  as  he  has  studied  American 
est  conditions  as  compared  with  those  abroad,  a  great  change  has 
cen  place  in  his  theories  and  his  application  of  them. 
Forestry  is  a  practical  science  and  has  to  do  not  merel}'  with  the 
<thetics  of  life,  but  which  such  prosaic  matters  as  public  economies, 
•ial  influences  and,  more  than  anything  else,  the  balance  sheet. 
Forestry  to  be  successful  must  pay ;  and  European  forestry,  profitable 
it  is  in  the  old  country,  has  not  yet  found  conditions  in  this  country. 
:-ept  in  a  few  and  comparatively  unimportant  sections  or  woods,  to 
lich  it  can  i)rofitably  be  applied.  J^o  far  as  the  growing  of  timber  de- 
luded by  the  public  is  concerned,  we  are  in  the  primary  stages  of 
•estry  in  this  countrj-.  We  must  save  and  conserve  and  do  all  we  can 
,vard  developing  a  complete  system  of  forestry  application ;  but  until 
^  time  comes  when  conditions  in  this  country'  are  like  those  in  Europe 

cannot  apply  European  methods  to  the  United  States. 
It  is  these  conditions,  financial  largely,  standing  as  a  barrier  in  the 
ly  of  })r()gress  along  the  lines  of  aesthetics  and  sentiment,  which 
i  so  hard  to  be  understood  by  those  not  in  the  lumber  business ;  and 
L'haps  increase  the  bitterness  with  which  they  regard  apparent  care- 
suess  and  waste,  and  lead  them  to  ascribe  these  things  to  the  lumber- 
in. 

Let  me  here,  for  a  moment,  enter  a  defense  of  the  lumber  industry 
aiust  the  charge  of  wilful  waste,  or  even  of  any  substantial  waste. 
ing  that  word  in  its  proper  sense.  The  lumberman,  whether  he  be  a 
liber  owner  or  a  saw  mill  operator,  or  both,  is  dealing  with  his  own 
Dpert}'.  The  most  ordinary  kind  of  selfishness  impels  him  to  get  all 
can  out  of  that  property;  he  will  not  waste  it.  On  the  contrary,  he 
11  make  the  best  possible  use  of  it  and  utilize  all  of  the  material  that 
can.  His  limitations  are  financial,  based  upon  the  market  demands 
d  the  cost  of  production. 

Sentimentally,  we  all  regret  the  magnificent  forests  of  sections  like 
lio,  Indiana  and  Southern  Michigan  where  the  settler,  unable  to  find 
nu\rket  for  his  timber  but  anxious  to  nuike  the  home  and  have  the 
ound  on  which  to  raise  crops  for  the  support  of  his  family,  after  using 
e  small  amount  of  the  timber  that  he  could  in  building  and  fencing, 
d  to  roll  the  rest  into  log  heaps  and  burn  them. 

But  it  was  then,  as  always,  more  important  to  raise  men  than  trees, 
d  the  forests  disai)peared  to  give  room  for  civilization.  Of  course,  if 
w  those  forests  were  standing  we  would  utilize  them  very  thoroughly. 


Ill 

Imt  simply  because  there  is  now  a  market  and  men  who  claim  a  few 
acres  for  a  corn  field  do  not  lack  sale  for  the  felled  timber. 

When  the  Inmberman  came  into  the  field,  taking-  the  place  Avith  his 
saws  of  the  mannfactnrinj;  methods  of  the  settler,  Avho  with  the  ax  con- 
verted the  trees  into  houses  and  shelters  for  his  cattle,  he  could  ntilize 
only  that  which  he  could  sell. 

At  first,  in  this  wonderful  State  of  Michigan,  only  the  best  trees  were 
cut,  and  often  in  cutting  those  the  remainder  left  exposed  were  attacked 
by  disease  or  fire  or  felled  by  the  winds.  Gradually,  as  demand  in- 
creased and  was  less  insistent  on  clear  lumber,  the  lumberman  could  go 
over  his  old  cuttings  more  closely,  until  now  the  time  has  come  in  this 
State  when  utilization  of  your  forest  resources  approximates  that  which 
we  have  established  as  our  ideal. 

This  fact  should  be  borne  in  mind  as  an  economic  proposition,  that  it 
is  waste  to  spend  more  money  in  producing  a  commodity,  than  it  can  be 
sold  for,  after  it  is  produced.  Even  in  our  present  advanced  stage,  to 
attempt  to  practice  forest  utilization  as  it  is  successfully  practiced  in 
(Germany,  for  example,  would  be  economic  folly,  causing  loss  both  to  the 
individual  and  to  the  community  at  large;  for  a  waste  of  human  effort 
is  still  more  deplorable  than  the  waste  or  non-utilization  of  natural  re- 
source. 

When  the  time  conies  that  conditions  are  the  same  as  to  costs  and 
values  as  they  are  abroad,  then  Ave  can  and  will  do  the  things  that  are 
done  there.  At  the  present  time  in  Germany  and  France,  stumpage,  the 
standing  trees,  is  priced  at  from  two  to  ten  times  as  much  as  it  is  in 
this  country.  There  they  can"  utilize  the  limbs  and  even  the  twigs  of 
trees,  which  here  cannot  be  used  without  economic  waste.  Yet  in  the 
older  sections  of  this  country  and  the  more  highly  developed  lumber 
sections  especially,  we  find  progress  being  made  in  this  direction  also, 
and  there  are  some  notable  examples  in  your  State  of  close  utilization. 
Yet  if  everyone  attempted  the  same  methods  the  market  for  these  by- 
products would  soon  be  swamped. 

It  is  these  financial  restrictions  which  face  the  lumberman  and  ex- 
[>lain  the  operating  policies  Avhich  he  employs.  He  is  as  anxious  for 
forest  regeneration,  for  complete  utilization  as  you  are;  and  even  more 
so.  because  it  is  his  proi)erty  that  is  at  stake;  his  is  the  burden  of 
investment,  of  management  and  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  doing  busi- 
ness at  a  ])rofit.  Perhaps  I  should  say  right  here  that  the  realization 
of  our  theories  and  dreams  depends  upon  higher  prices  for  standing 
timber.  Perhaps  we  must  await  the  slow  processes  of  time;  perhaps  we 
must  wait  until  there  is  even  less  timber  in  this  country  before  timber 
values  Avill  get  to  a  point  Avhere  it  would  be  possible  for  us  to  do  Avhat 
we  Avould  do. 

Do  not  imagine  for  the  moment  that  progress  has  not  been  made.  The 
older  ones  among  you  can  remember  when  if  the  lumberman  secured  five 
thousand  feet  to  the  acre  from  his  Michigan  forests,  he  was  doing  well. 
Now  he  often  gets  15,000  to  20,000  feet ;  and  this  result  has  been  secured 
simply  by  the  process  of  closer  utilization  made  possible  by  higher 
prices.  Yet  the  very  people  who  are  demanding  better  forest  methods 
are  demanding  lower  prices  for  lumber  or  at  least  objecting-  to  the  higher 
prices. 

A  jjrevious  speaker  said  that  in  the  matter  of  our  forest  resources  we 


112 

could  eat  our  cake  and  have  it  too.  This  is  true  from  a  century  stand- 
point, but  not  as  an  immediate  fact.  It  takes  fifty  or  a  hundred,  or 
one-hundred  and  fifty  3'ears  to  grow  a  tree,  according  to  the  species 
and  what  you  consider  matured  timber.  In  only  a  few  isolated  cases 
can  timber  be  grown  in  this  country.  In  some  parts  of  New  England 
the  time  has  come  Avhen  the  individual  land  owner  can  raise  white  pine. 
On  the  South  Atlantic  coast  it  is  possible  to  grow  loblolly  pine  because 
of  the  rapid  growth  of  that  species;  and  in  some  other  sections  and  in 
some  other  woods  the  cost  of  tree  groAving  and  the  prices  that  can  be 
realized  from  the  trees  are  approaching  each  other.  But  most  of  our 
timber  supply  comes  from  forests  that  would  cost  two  or  three  or  ten 
times  as  much  to  be  reproduced  as  now  they  can  be  purchased  for. 

If  the  lumbermen  be  content  with  the  most  modest  manufacturing 
profit  and  the  people  consent  to  the  inevitable  advance  in  values,  the 
time  will  come  much  more  quickly  than  otherwise  Avhen  reforestation 
will  be  practicable  in  this  country. 

The  people  and  the  lumbermen  must  co-operate.  Timber-groAving  is 
largely  a  matter  of  investment,  and  the  investment  must  not  be  taxed 
out  of  existence.  It  must  not  be  destroyed  by  fire.  The  lumberman  can 
do  much  and  will  do  all  that  he  can  according  to  his  lights,  but  the 
people  who  claim  so  large  an  interest  in  this  natural  and  national  re- 
source must  do  their  share. 

Take  the  matter  of  fire.  It  displays  an  astonishing  disregard  of  land 
boundaries  and  property  titles.  The  fire  Avhich  starts  in  your  neighbor's 
neglected  slashings  or  wood  lot  does  not  halt  or  go  out  when  it  comes 
to  your  property  line. 

In  some  states  there  is  a  co-operation  betAAeen  the  people  represented 
by  their  state  government  and  the  progressive  timber  oAvners.  Such  co- 
operation should  exist  everyAvhere  so  that  the  nameless  and  ignorant 
timber  oAvner  should  be  forced  to  keep  step  Avith  his  enlightened  and 
progressiAe  and  public-spirited  competitors  in  the  business,  and  the 
people  as  a  Avhole,  Avhose  interest  in  the  maintenance  and  prosperity  of 
the  lumber  business  is  so  great,  should  bear  their  due  share  of  the  re- 
sponsibility  and  cost. 

If  this  conference  is  to  amount  to  anything  of  value  to  ^Michigan,  it 
should  point  the  Avay  to  practical  achievement  in  forestry  as  Avell  as  in 
horticulture,  the  maintenance  of  land  fertility,  the  utilization  of  Avater 
poAver,  etc. 

I  have  suggested  some  of  the  points  in  regard  to  Avhich  the  people  and 
the  lumbermen  should  co-operate.  One  of  the  most  important  things  at 
the  beginning,  hoAvever,  is  a  better  understanding  and  the  establishment 
of  a  sympathetic  mutuality  of  interest  Avithout  which  efficient  co-opera- 
tion is  difficult  if  not  impossible.  Therefore  I  ai»i)eal  to  you  to  put  your- 
selves, so  far  as  you  can,  in  the  lumberman's  ]»lace,  to  realize  his  diffi- 
culties, to  disabuse  your  minds  of  the  idea  that  he  is  any  dift'erent  in  his 
ideals  of  citizenship  from  you,  and  to  realize  that  he  is  doing  the  best 
he  can.  There  is  ignorance  sometimes,  there  is  carelessness  sometimes, 
sometimes  the  immediate  dime  looks  larger  than  the  distant  dollar,  for 
we  are  all  more  or  less  selfish  and  short-sighted;  but,  by  and  large,  the 
lumberman  is  the  practical  forester;  it  is  he  that  must  api>ly  theories 
and  it  is  he  that  is  putting  theory  into  practice,  Avith  constantly  increas- 


113 

ing  benefits  to  the  people.     But  the  application   of  theory   cannot   be 
made  unless  the  conditions  surrounding  it  are  right. 

Therefore  I  appeal  to  you,  leaders  of  thought  in  Michigan,  niolders  of 
public  opinion,  to  assist  in  establishing  the  proper  relation  between  the 
people  and  the  lumberman,  in  order  that  your  joint  interests  may  be 
protected  and  conserved,  and  that  Michigan  may  continue  to  be  the 
beautiful,  fruitful  and  altogether  desirable  state  that  it  now  is. 


THE  RELATION  OF  THE  GEOLOGICAL  AND  BIOLOGICAL  SUR- 
VEY TO  THE  CONSERVATION  OF  THE  ANIMALS 
OF  THE  STATE. 

BY   ALEXANDER   G.    RUTHVEX,    CHIEF    NATURALIST,    ^MICHIGAN    GEOLOGICAL   AND 

BIOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

I  am  attending  this  meeting  as  a  representative  of  the  Geological  and 
Biological  Survey,  and  permit  me  to  say  at  once  that  the  survey  is 
thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the  attempt  to  secure  greater  cooperation 
between  the  State  departments  and  associations  concerned  with  the 
natural  resources  of  the  State.  The  conservation  of  the  wild  animals  of 
Michigan  is  the  part  of  the  general  subject  that  particularly  interests 
us  at  this  time  for  we  have  long  recognized  that  our  work  on  the  animals 
of  the  State  is  not  as  efficient  as  it  would  be  if  we  could  get  the  results 
into  the  hands  of  the  other  departments  and  associations  interested  in 
the  subject,  and  Ave  also  believe  that  the  animals  cannot  be  intelligently 
preserved  without  a  knowledge  of  our  results.  In  other  words  to  be 
intelligently  selfish  in  this  case  we  must  be  intelligently  unselfish,  and 
be  willing  to  cooperate.  For  these  reasons  we  have  decided  to  suggest 
to  this  meeting  a  very  definite  and  as  we  believe  a  very  practical  method 
of  cooperation  between  the  Survey  and  the  departments  and  associations 
interested  in  the  preservation  of  the  Michigan  fauna. 

It  is  apparently  not  generally  known  that  the  biological  division  of 
the  survey  has  for  the  past  seven  years  been  engaged  in  a  careful  study 
of  the  animals  of  Michigan.  The  ground  covered  by  this  work  may  be 
judged  when  I  say  that  enough  information  has  now  accumulated  to 
permit  us  to  give  expert  advice  on  such  subjects  as  what  species  are 
found  in  particular  parts  of  the  State,  what  areas  are  best  for  preserves, 
which  forms  are  harmful  to  the  farmer  and  which  beneficial  or  harmless, 
the  local  abundance  and  habits  of  the  different  animals,  etc.  This  data 
is  freely  used  by  teachers  and  scientists,  but  it  is  not  used  by  those  who 
draft  our  game  laws. 

Beyond  question  such  information  is  needed.  The  farmers  in  particu- 
lar parts  of  the  State  know  some  of  the  obnoxious  and  beneficial  animals, 
and  the  sportsmen  know  some  of  the  game  animals  that  need  protection 
in  their  vicinity,  but  the  knowledge  of  the  best  of  these  men  is  rather 
closely  limited  not  only  to  the  particular  class  of  animals  in  which 
they  are  interested  but  also  to  the  more  conspicuous  forms  and  generally 
does  not  extend  to  a  knowledge  of  habits;  while  the  whole  subject  is 
complicated  by  those  who  wish  to  protect,  for  aesthetic  reasons,  all 
but  the  most  obnoxious  of  our  animals.  It  goes  without  saying  that 
15 


114 

the  interests  of  all  these  persons  must  be  considered,  but  this  cannot  be 
done  when  any  one  of  them  may  introduce  and  put  through  laws  em- 
bodying their  ideas,  for,  as  I  have  intimated,  no  one  of  them  is,  as  a 
rule,  in  a  jiosition  to  give  the  matter  thorough  study.  This  is  coming 
to  be  generally  recognized.  The  northern  Michigan  sportsmen  declare 
that  the  souther-n  ^licliigan  s])ortsmen  cannot  legislate  for  their  area, 
the  southern  ^lichigan  sportsmen  believe  that  they  are  the  best  judges 
of  the  laws  needed  for  their  region,  and  I  believe  that  it  is  not  too  mucli 
to  say  that  not  one  farmer  out  of  five  has  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the 
habits  and  economic  importance  of  the  animals  found  on  his  own  prop- 
erty. The  result  is  that  our  laws  are  woefully  inadequate  in  that  over 
the  State  as  a  Avhole  slaughter  dominates  natural  increase.  In  other 
words,  in  spite  of  what  has  been  done  to  prevent  it,  we  still  continue  to 
kill  the  geese  that  lay  the  golden  eggs. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  a  census  be  taken  of  the  opinions  of  the 
residents  of  the  different  parts  of  the  State  and  these  opinions  combined 
into  a  general  law.  I  do  not  wish  to  disparage  any  such  laudable  at- 
tempt to  obtain  efficient  legislation,  but  I  must  say  that  such  a  pro- 
cedure would  be  very  laborious  and  in  my  opinion,  while  it  might  better 
conditions,  the  results  would  still  fall  far  short  of  the  ideal,  owing  to 
the  general  ignorance  of  the  actual  conditions  that  I  have  asserted 
exists  particularly  among  the  farmers  and  the  sportsmen  Avith  limited 
experience.  I  believe  that  I  am  not  wrong  Avhen  I  say  that  absolutely 
the  only  way  to  have  efficient  laws  regarding  the  animals  of  Michigan 
is  to  subject  them  to  the  criticism  of  those  persons  Avho  have  made  a 
detailed  study  of  the  conditions  in  different  i)arts  of  the  State,  and  are 
impartial  in  their  sympathies.     Is  this  not  evidently  true? 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  say  that  the  Survey  gladly  ])laces  its 
information  at  the  disposal  of  persons  interested  in  game  conservation, 
but  something  more  than  this  is  necessary,  and  our  suggestion  covers 
this  need.  I  have  consulted  with  the  federal  survey  people  at  Washing- 
ton, and  with  many  people  in  the  State  who  are  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  I  find  a  unanimous  o])inion,  so  far  as  it  has  been  ex}>ressed, 
that  probably  the  best  Avay  to  bring  about  cooperation  between  the 
Survey  and  the  individuals,  associations  and  the  other  State  depart- 
ments interested  in  the  conservati(m  of  the  INIichigan  fauna  would  be  to 
have  all  i)ro]»osed  legislation  affecting  the  animals  of  the  State  sub- 
mitted to  the  surve}^  for  a])])roval  or  at  least  recommendations  before 
coming  up  for  action  by  the  legislature. 

Such  a  procedure  would  be  exactly  in  line  with  the  federal  methods  of 
dealing  Avitli  these  ])r()blems.  It  has  no  doubt  come  to  your  attention 
that  it  is  the  United  Slates  liiological  Survey  that  is  charged  with  the 
])rotection  of  the  animals  of  (he  United  States  so  far  as  this  lies  outside 
the  authority  of  the  dill'erent  states.  What  more  logical  then  than  that 
the  State  liiological  Survey  be  given  a  voice  in  the  matter  of  State 
legislation. 

I  would  like  to  hear  this  suggestion  considered.  I  cannot  see  that  it 
is  revolutionary,  im])ractical  oi*  that  it  will  cause  hardship  to  any  in- 
dividual, association  or  State  department,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  if 
we  are  really  trying  to  obtain  coo])eration.  hei'e  is  the  o])i)ortunity  to  do 
something  in  that  direction  that  will  have  a  real  value.  At  any  rate  I 
would  like  to  reiterate  that  without  such  a  union  of  forces  we  cannot 
expect  oui-  legislation  as  a  whole  to  be  anything  but  unintelligent. 


115 


CONSERVATION  OF  BIRD  LIFE. 

HY    JEFFERSON    BUTLER,    PRESIDENT    MICHIGAN    AUDUBON    SOCIETY,    PRESIDENT 
DETROIT    INSTITUTE    OF    SCIENCE. 

Darwin  tells  us  that  during  bis  trip  to  South  America  he  visited  the 
islands  of  the  Galapagos  Archipelago  near  the  coast  and  found  the  wild 
birds  so  fearless  of  man  that  they  would  light  on  vessels  held  in  the 
band.  Testimony  of  the  same  character  is  given  by  other  scientific 
travellers  Avbich  tends  to  show  that  in  a  state  of  nature,  man  and  the 
Avild  birds  are  friends.  At  the  time  our  forests  were  swept  away  man 
was  also  engaged  in  killing  our  birds.  Game  was  abundant  and  every- 
thing edible  was  game.  When  it  was  suggested  to  the  legislature  of 
Ohio  in  1S57,  that  a  law  should  be  enacted  for  the  protection  of  the  wild 
Itigeon,  a  committee  that  investigated  the  matter  said  that  this  bird  was 
so  numerous  as  to  make  its  extinction  impossible.  Yet  rewards  of  up- 
wards of  |2,000  in  money  have  been  offered  for  the  discovery  of  the  nest- 
ing of  this  bird,  for  the  past  three  years,  without  anyone  being  able  to 
claim  the  prizes,  which  leads  us  to  believe  that  this  bird  is  absolutely 
extinct. 

Michigan  was  one  of  the  worst  offenders  in  the  destruction  of  the  wild 
pigeons.  These  birds  nested  near  Petoskey.  Their  nesting  sites  covered 
territory  twenty-eight  miles  in  extent  by  four  in  breadth.  They  were 
shipped  in  carloads  to  the  markets  in  Chicago  during  the  summer  of 
1878,  and  it  is  estimated  that  the  destruction  of  these  birds  that  summer 
in  Michigan,  counting  the  young  that  perished  in  their  nests,  due  to  the 
killing  of  the  parent  birds,  amounted  to  one  billion.  The  National  Gov- 
ernment officials  are  telling  us  that  there  is  danger  of  the  wood  duck, 
the  upland  plover,  and  many  shore  birds  being  exterminated.  The 
Labrador  Duck  has  gone  with  the  wild  pigeon.  They  were  formerly 
sold  on  the  markets  of  our  large  cities,  now  a  skin  of  the  duck  sells  for 
|1,500.  The  extermination  of  the  Great  Auk  furnishes  another  sad 
chapter.  An  egg  of  this  bird  sold  in  San  Francisco  for  |1,500.  A 
desperate  fight  is  now  on  to  save  tlie  egret  and  snowy  heron. 

The  felling  of  our  forests  fostered  wastefulness  and  destruction  not 
only  to  our  tree  life,  but  to  our  land,  our  flora,  our  birds  and  many 
useful  wild  animals.  The  story  of  how  our  land  has  been  washed  away 
and  our  water  supply  dissipated  is  commonly  known.  With  the  waste- 
fulness of  our  forests  by  axe  and  fire  Avent  millions  of  our  birds.  From 
records  sent  me  during  the  past  eight  years  I  have  estimated  that  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  both  game  and  song  birds  have  perished  in  Michi- 
gan through  forest  fires.  I  have  known  of  half  a  dozen  colonies  of  great 
blue  heron  that  were  destroyed  in  Michigan  by  such  fires. 

p]very  sportsman  and  naturalist  knows  that  forests  not  only  provide 
the  necessary  food  for  many  wild  birds  and  animals  but  affords  them 
protection  also  for  the  winter.  To  build  up  our  forests  means  the 
supplying  of  food  and  homes  for  these  useful  creatures.  They  are  not 
only  useful  from  an  esthetic  and  educational  standpoint  but  are  neces- 
sary to  the  forests  themselves.  Trees  and  birds  are  so  closely  related 
16 


116 

that  it  is  impossible  to  separate  one  from  the  other  without  throwing 
nature  out  of  balance.  Where  the  trees  are  destroyed  the  birds  will 
perish,  where  the  birds  are  exterminated  many  trees  are  doomed.  Where 
large  forests  are  decimated  the  remaining  trees  and  nnderbrush  will  not 
be  adequate  to  offer  protection  for  the  nests  and  song  of  the  birds,  and 
the  food  supply  will  be  so  curtailed  as  to  put  the  birds  in  a  defenseless 
condition  and  their  extermination  will  be  all  the  more  rapid.  In  clear- 
ing up  the  forests  all  the  dead  timber  is  frequently  cut  out  and  the  nest- 
ing ])laces  of  the  flickers  and  the  woodpeckers  are  cleared  away.  The 
woodpeckers  are  among  the  best  protectors  of  the  forest  trees.  They 
prefer  the  dead  trees  to  nest  in  and  this  should  be  kept  in  mind  by  the 
forester. 

Many  of  our  Avater  birds  prefer  to  follow  the  shore  line  of  the  Great 
Lakes  where  they  are  wooded  because  they  find  a  greater  variety  of  food 
and  of  course  in  greater  abundance.  Many  of  our  song  birds  such  as 
the  scarlet  tanager,  wood  thrush,  redstart  and  other  warblers  prefer 
deep  woods  to  nest  in.  As  many  of  the  small  streams  as  i)ossible,  not 
specially  adapted  for  agriculture,  should  be  forested  for  they  furnish 
the  best  nesting  places  for  both  game  and  song  birds.  Forest  fires  often 
play  havoc  with  these  birds.  I  was  informed  by  a  naturalist  that  at  a 
swampy  place  near  Alpena,  which  was  surrounded  by  woods,  during  a 
forest  fire  a  great  number  of  ducks,  coots,  rails,  bittern,  sandpipers, 
plovers,  quail  and  ruffed  grouse  came  to  the  shore  from  the  forest  in 
large  numbers.  That  many  flew  about  through  the  woods  and  perished 
by  smoke  and  flame.  That  numbers  which  had  escaped  returned  to  the 
woods,  probably  for  their  young,  as  the  remains  of  many  of  these  and 
of  song  birds  were  afterwards  found.  The  parent  birds  gave  up  their 
lives  in  trying  to  save  their  young.  The  sportsmen  should  not  only  take 
active  measures  to  prevent  forest  fires  but  should  use  their  whole  in- 
fluence in  getting  adequate  measures  to  foster  reforestation. 

Many  sportsmen  T  have  met  are  fond  of  the  wild  songsters  and  they 
are  generally  acquainted  with  the  chickadee,  white  breasted  nuthatch, 
two  or  three  species  of  Avoodpeckers,  blue  jays,  the  owls  and  hawks  and 
frequently  know  other  varieties  of  useful  birds.  Many  of  them  tell  me 
they  do  not  go  for  the  shooting  but  for  the  outing.  Our  song  birds  per- 
form a  great  service  to  the  country.  Insects  damage  our  crops  to  the 
extent  of  |S00,000.000  yearly.  It'  takes  one-tenth  of  the  time  of  all 
our  farmers  to  feed  the  insects,  rodents  and  to  cultivate  or  fight  weeds. 
The  National  Audubon  Society  estimates  that  our  wild  birds  are  worth 
more  than  $200,000,000  annually.  More  than  sixty  percentum  of  our 
birds  were  destroyed  in  thirty  years.  This  has  meant  a  loss  not  only 
of  millions  but  of  billions  to  the  country — a  frightful  waste  of  our 
natural  resources,  not  to  mention  the  cruelty  to  the  birds. 

The  United  States  Government  is  warning  the  peo]ile  that  they  must 
increase  the  field  of  crops  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  population, 
and  the  officials  are  going  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  study  and  acquire 
knowledge  of  methods  that  will  be  beneficial  here.  By  reforestation  of 
our  waste  places  we  can  do  a  great  public  good  by  providing  a  home, 
a  nesting  place,  a  place  of  refuge  in  storm  and  cold  for  our  birds  Avhich 
will  in  return  help  us  in  preserving  our  grains,  our  fruits,  and  the 
forests  themselves.  These  joyous  creatures  Avill  flood  the  land  Avith  song 
and  bring  delight  to  our  children,  our  naturalists,  and  eA^en  to  the  man 


117 

absorbed  in  business  and  the  cares  of  life.  The  Audubon  Society  is  hope- 
ful that  the  song  birds  can  be  brought  back  not  only  to  our  woods  and 
fields  but  to  the  towns  and  cities. 

While  we  are  repairing  our  own  fences  it  might  be  well  to  arouse  an 
interest  in  bird  ijrotection  to  the  south  of  us,  not  only  in  our  own 
southern  states  but  in  Mexico  and  Central  and  South  America  where 
many  of  our  birds  spend  -the  winter,  and  where  they  are  frequently 
destroyed  for  millinery  and  other  purposes.  Canada  has  always  shown 
a  willingness  to  co-operate  in  this  work.  It  is  an  inter-national  question 
as  some  of  our  birds  travel  from  Patagonia  to  the  Arctic  Circle,  such 
as  the  golden  plover.  The  Bartramian  sandpiper  comes  from  Chili,  and 
many  travel  from  Brazil  to  nest  here  and  to  the  north. 

The  Audubon  Society  joins  heartily  with  the  forester,  the  humanist, 
the  sportsman  and  the  patriot  in  the  preservation  of  our  forests  and 
other  natural  resources,  in  the  protection  of  our  wild  life  as  well  as  the 
animals  that  labor  for  us  and  contribute  to  our  welfare,  knowing  that  to 
make  any  appreciable  advance  these  many  forces  must  work  in  unison, 
the  objects  being  the  betterment  of  our  country  and  the  uplift  of 
humanity. 


STATE   GAME  KEFUGES. 


FRANK     H.     SHEARER.    BAY    CriY. 


In  making  this  address  upon  Game  Kefuges,  I  trust  that  you  will 
pardon  me  if  I  wander,  somewhat,  and  speak  of  matters  and  facts  a 
trifle  foreign  to  my  subject,  but  nevertheless,  closely  connected  with  it. 
I  cannot  allow  this  opportunity  to  go  bj^  without  an  endeavor  to  ac- 
quaint you  with  some  of  the  things  that  the  sportsmen  of  Michigan  very 
much  desire.  Some  changes  in  our  present  laws  should  be  made,  and 
some  new  laws  enacted,  if  we  wish  to  save  what  now  remains  of  our  wild 
life. 

Ordinarily  the  American  people  are  hard  to  arouse,  but  once  awak- 
ened, may  be  trusted  to  right  serious  wrongs.  A  great  wrong  has  been, 
and  is  being  done,  to  our  wild  life.  The  game  birds  and  animals  are 
being  exterminated.  Everyone  should  aAvaken  to  this  danger  at  once. 
They  are  the  property  of  the  public,  and  by  them  should  be  held  in  trust 
for  future  generations. 

Michigan  has  protecting  game  laws.  These  laws  limit  the  number  of 
birds  and  animals  we  may  take,  as  well  as  the  season  in  which  they  may 
be  taken.  Such  laws  have  been  in  force  for  many  years,  and  are  neces- 
sary and  useful,  but  have  they  increased  our  birds  in  number?  No. 
Why?  Because  the  birds  have  no  refuge  where  they  may  escape  perse- 
cution, and  as  our  State  becomes  more  densely  populated,  this  persecu- 
tion constantly  increases,  and  becomes  more  persistent.  What  will  be 
the  result  of  continuing  present  conditions?  Our  game  must  in  a 
comparatively  few  years,  be  practically  exterminated,  or  some  practical 
measures  must  be  taken  to  efficiently  protect  and  preserve  it. 


118 

From  personal  experience.  I  might  tell  you,  that  tliere  is  not  now,  one 
ruffed-gronse,  commonly  called  partridge,  where  tliere  were  fifty,  but 
ten  years  ago.  Market  hunting,  Avhich  is  unlawful,  has  been  directly  to 
blame  for  this  condition,  but  the  cutting  down  of  the  "])ossessiou  limit'' 
has  almost  put  the  market  hunter  "out  of  business."  A  few  years  ago, 
it  was  lawful  to  have  fifty  partridge  in  ])ossession  at  one  time,  and 
market  hunting  Avas  profitable.  Now  the  limit  is  fifteen,  and  there  is 
no  ''money"  in  it. 

If  we  can  establish  Game  Refuges,  where  birds  can  be  jtrotected  at  all 
times,  it  is  not  too  late,  even  now,  to  save  a  great  many,  and  these  will 
breed,  and  the  increase  will  spread  over  the  adjacent  territory,  and  re- 
plenish our  woods  and  fields.  It  is  to  be  ho])ed  that  it  will  not  be  a  case 
of  "locking  the  door,  after  the  horse  has  been  stolen." 

The  sportsmen  want  the  game  saved,  and  increased  to  such  an  extent, 
that  the  few  that  are  killed  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure  and  recreation, 
will  not  diminish  the  supply,  that  the  balance  of  nature  will  not  be  dis- 
turbed; and  the  sportsmen  of  Michigan  believe  that  it  is  perfectly  feas- 
ible and  practical  to  bring  this  situation  about,  here  in  our  State. 

If  the  Public  Domain  Commission  would  set  aside,  say  20  tracts  of 
about  5,000  acres,  each,  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  for  Game 
Refuges,  wild  lands  suitable  for  the  purpose,  and  have  the  fires  kept  out, 
we  could  hope  for  our  wild  life  to  increase.  The  Game  Warden's  De- 
partment should  then  find  out  how  to  manage  the  game  features  of  these 
Refuges,  how  to  act  as  game  keepers  so  that  the  necessary  food  could  be 
provided,  also  exterminate  the  vermin  that  prey  upon  the  game,  and 
eft'ectually  prevent  trespass,  and  illegal  killing.  The  foregoing  refers 
to  the  use  of  State  lands  for  (jame  Refuges,  but  there  is  no  reason  why 
some  legislation  could  not  be  enacted  that  would  set  aside  private  lands, 
with  the  consent  of  the  owners,  in  suitable  locations,  for  Refuges,  and 
have  them  controlled  by  the  Game  Department,  and  protected  from  fire, 
and  trespass,  at  all  times.  I  know  of  one  ])iece  of  property,  containing 
thousands  of  acres,  all  fenced,  that  could  be  obtained  for  this  purpose, 
without  cost  to  the  State.  It  is  ideally  situated,  being  covered  witli 
second-growth  timber,  and  the  ground  with  natural  feed  for  the  birds. 
There  are  a  great  number  of  snmller  tracts  that  could  be  secured,  and  by 
re-stocking  these  sanctuaries  we  Avould  have  more  birds  in  five  years,  if 
properly  protected  and  cared  for,  than  we  had  twenty  years  ago.  vSup- 
pose  a  tract  of  suitable  land,  containing  from  two  to  five  hundred  acres, 
was  made  a  Refuge,  and  100  ])airs  of  quail  or  Hungarian  partridge  were 
liberated  u]»on  it,  and  allowed  to  mate  and  breed  unmolested.  In  five 
years,  s]»caking  very  conservatively,  there  would  be  over  10.000  birds  in 
the  Refuge,  or  in  the  adjacent  territory.  J?irds  very  soon  learn  to  go 
and  stay  where  they  are  not  jmrsued,  for  we  all  know  how  the  wild  ducks 
will  feed  from  the  hands  of  peo]»le  in  the  Jndian  River,  Florida,  where 
they  are  always  protected  in  certain  zones,  and  these  ducks  remain  there 
during  the  winter  months,  and  are  very  tame.  Those  same  ducks  when 
they  start  north  in  the  spring  iuuuediately  become  wild  as  hawks 
for  they  are  fired  at,  and  chased  Irom  early  dawn  uittil  night.  It  is 
to  be  lioi)ed  that  the  ^McLean  VAU  will  l)econu'  a  law,  for  it  will  place 
migratory  waterfowl  under  federal  jurisdiction,  and  there  will  be  no 
more  s})ring-shooting,  and  in  consequence,  waterfowl  will  remain  here 
in  Michigan,  and  breed  in  goodly  numbers,  instead  of  all  of  them  going 


119 

into  the  far  north  to  breed.  If  there  is  any  marsh  land  that  can  be  se- 
cnred  for  Refuge  purposes,  it  should  be  bought  by  the  State  and  set 
aside  for  the  purjtose. 

We  are  used  to  bearing  the  usual  and  slowly  accumulating  burdens  with 
dull  resignation  and  patience.  The  life  and  pr()])erty  losses  and  taxes, 
are  constant,  and  Ave  take  them  for  granted.  It  is  the  unusual  calamity 
that  shock  and  excite  the  sjtirit  of  opposition  and  the  desire  to  ])revent  a 
re-occurrence.  The  Titanic  sank  and  1,800  lives  were  lost,  and  the  world 
was  filled  with  fear  and  sympathy.  Tuberculosis  claims  100,000  and 
])neum(mia  100,000  victims  ])er  year,  yet  we  bear  this  awful  loss  of  life 
with  the  passing  comment  that  it  is  a  great  i)ity.  The  San  Francisco 
earthquake  caused  a  loss  of  over  .flO0,O0O,00O,  and  was  the  primary 
cause  of  the  ])anic  of  1907.  And  now  we  come  to  the  figures  that  should 
interest  the  farmers,  who  would  greatly  benefit  by  the  pro])agation  and 
preservation  of  game  birds.  The  loss  to  the  farmers  caused  by  destruc- 
tive insects,  is  very  conservatively  placed  at  |800,000,000  each  year,  in 
the  United  States,  and  these  figures  are  based  upon  the  annual  crop 
report  of  the  United  States  I)ei)artment  of  Agriculture.  We  are  so 
used  to  large  figures  these  days,  both  in  science  and  finance,  that  hun- 
dreds of  millions  mean  no  more  than  hundreds  of  thousands  did  a  few 
years  ago,  so  to  show  by  comparison  what  a  tremendous  loss  is  |800,- 
000,000,  we  will  mention  the  fact  that  there  are  000  Colleges  in  the 
United  States,  their  buildings  and  endowments  have  been  years  in  ac- 
cumulation. The  value  of  the  College  and  University  buildings  is  esti- 
mated at  1200,000,000  and  the  endowments  at  |219,000,000.  If  they 
should  be  destro3'ed  tomorrow,  the  insect  tax  of  one  year  would  replace 
them,  and  endow  thirty-two  additional  Colleges  in  the  sum  of  |10,000,- 
000  each.  Now,  birds  eat  insects,  and  they  eat  most  of  the  time,  the 
quail  alone  eats  his  weight  of  insects  every  day.  The  partridge  eats  in- 
sects, and  feeds  its  young  entirely  upon  insects.  These  birds  eat  locusts, 
chinch-bugs,  cotton-worms,  army-worms,  potato  bugs,  cucumber-beetles, 
and  many  others  that  destroy  the  farmers  cro])s.  A  bevy  of  Hungarian 
partridge,  or  quail,  upon  a  farmers  field  are  worth  their  weight  in  gold 
to  him,  and  if  the  sportsman  desires  to  have  their  number  increase,  the 
farmer  should  certainly  have  their  earnest  and  hearty  supi)ort  in  any 
measure  that  will  cause  the  much  desired  result. 

Now,  it  would  take  some  money  to  carry  out  such  a  proposition,  and 
the  proper  way  is  by  having  a  hunter's  license.  A  license  of  that  kind 
would  give  us  |100,000  the  first  year,  and  this  money  spent  judiciously 
for  the  maintaining  of  Refuges  paying  the  expense  of  the  Game  Depart- 
ment, and  the  re-stocking  and  pro])agation  of  game  birds,  would  work 
wonders  in  a  few  years.  No  one  objects  to  a  man  dancing,  providing 
that  "he"  pays  the  fiddler,  then  why  should  anyone  object  to  tliis  method 
of  s])ending  the  money.  The  sportsman  and  the  farmers  will  derive  the 
benefit,  and  as  they  furnish  the  money,  they  should  be  assisted  in  every 
way. 

Some  say  that  the  farmer  would  object  to  a  license  system  and  that  he 
would  not  pay  fl.OO  each  year  for  his  boy  to  have  the  privilege  of  shoot- 
ing protected  game,  etc.  Now,  I  do  not  believe  that  any  farmer  would 
object  to  the  license  after  he  realizes  that  it  is  a  protection  for  his 
jiroperty  and  himself.  It  will  do  away  with  the  irresponsible  Sunday 
shooter,  that  rents  a  gun  Saturday  night,  buys  his  bottle  of  "snake-bite" 


120 

cure  and  shoots  everything  he  sees  moving,  and  makes  a  general  nuisance 
of  liimself  all  day  Sunday.  This  license  law  should  be  so  worded,  that 
every  land-owner  would  have  the  right  to  ask  for  the  license-card  of  a 
hunter  that  is  upon  his  premises,  then  if  damage  is  done,  the  blame 
could  be  rightly  placed.  No  man  has  the  right  to  trespass  upon  the  lands 
of  another,  and  it  would  necessitate  the  asking  of  i)ermission  before 
starting  in  to  hunt. 

I  have  heard  some  shooters  say  that  it  would  put  too  much  power 
into  the  hands  of  the  farmers,  and  that  in  a  short  time  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  find  a  place  to  go  shooting,  etc.  Well,  I  have  been  shooting 
for  the  past  twenty  years  and  my  experience  has  been,  that  the  farmers, 
as  a  class,  are  a  pretty  decent,  good  natured  lot  of  fellows;  and  I  have 
never  found  one,  during  that  twenty  years  that  would  forbid  shooting 
on  his  lands,  after  he  ascertained  that  his  rights  would  be  respected, 
and  that  there  was  no  intention  of  injuring,  or  destroying  his  crops, 
stock,  or  fences. 

To  sum  the  matter  up,  the  birds  are  necessary  to  protect  the  crops 
from  the  insect  pests,  the  sportsman  desires  an  increase  in  their  num- 
bers, and  is  willing  to  pay  for  it  out  of  his  own  pocket,  and  Game 
Refuges  are  absolutely  necessary  to  have  the  very  much  desired  imj)rove- 
ment  in  conditions. 

I  thank  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen. 

A  committee  which  was  appointed  by  the  Chair  to  draft  suitable 
resolutions  and  make  recommendations  in  regard  to  the  future  work  of 
the  Conference  reported  as  follows : 

We  heartily  recommend  the  action  of  the  Public  Domain  Commission 
for  the  kindly  interest  they  have  manifested  towards  the  Women's 
Clubs  throughout  the  State,  whereby  it  has  been  made  possible  for  them 
to  co-operate  in  this  State-wide  work;  and  we  firmly  believe  that  with 
their  aid  much  can  be  accomplished  and  a  better  understanding  arrived 
at  as  to  the  needs  of  the  State  of  Michigan ;  and 

We  also  heartily  commend  and  recommend  the  State's  aid  and  en- 
couragement to  the  Horticultural  Interests  which  are  now  doing  so 
much  to  place  Michigan  in  the  fore  ranks  as  a  horticultural  State,  by 
demonstrating  that  areas  of  Michigan  which  heretofore  were  considered 
of  little  value  are  of  more  Avorth  than  the  much  talked  of  fruit  lands  of 
the  West; 

Whereas,  There  seems  to  be  a  consensus  of  opinion  among  horticul- 
turalists,  agriculturalists,  game  Avardens  and  sportsmen  demanding 
greater  i)rotection  of  game  life  in  the  State;  and 

Whereas,  The  State  of  Michigan  is  at  last  in  a  position  through  its 
Public  Domain  Commission  both  to  preserve  and  advance  the  material 
prosperity  of  the  State;  and 

Whereas,  We  believe  the  efforts  of  the  Public  Domain  Commission  in 
inaugurating  this  admirable  Conference  have  been  and  will  be  vastly 
beneficial  to  the  State's  interests  in  conserving  its  natural  resources; 
and 

Whereas,  the  low  price  at  which  the  public  lands  of  Michigan  are 
apj)raised  and  otlered  for  sale  constitutes  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles 
to  the  settlement  and  development  of  the  State  of  Michigan,  said  condi- 


121 

tion  being  the  prolific  source  of  the  idea  of  "worthless  lands"  which  has 
caused  great  monetary  loss  to  the  State; 

Therefore  be  it  resolved,  That  these  meetings  be  continued,  preferably 
in  the  winter  time,  and  that  the  papers  presented  at  this  meeting  be  pub- 
lished for  the  information  of  the  general  public;  and  be  it 

Resolved,  That  we  recommend  a  gun  license  of  at  least  fl.OO  per  3'ear, 
the  establishment  of  game  refuges,  of  greater  stringency  in  the  game 
laws,  a  more  limited  "open  season,"  the  allowing  of  the  raising  of  wild 
animals  and  the  use  of  the  State  Forests  as  game  preserves;  and  be  it 
also 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  meeting  that  the  Public  Domain 
Commission  should  again  revise  the  appraisals  and  purchase  price  of  all 
lands  under  its  control  to  at  least  six  dollars  per  acre;  and  be  it 

Further  resolved,  That  we  respectfully  urge  that  the  Legislature  pro- 
vide more  adequate  appropriation  for  the  use  of  the  Public  Domain  Com- 
mission in  carrying  on  the  commendable  and  efficient  work  which  they 
have  been  doing  in  the  interest  of  conservation  and  development  work  in 
this  State. 

The.  above  recommendations  and  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted  by  the  Conference, 


Yd  20757 


7.XB«Kfi^^^^HH 


320937 


HC/o7 


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